Teddy Bear
by PBelf
Summary: Kaneki Ken x Human!Reader - You were living happily under the roof of Anteiku when suddenly a new face happens to join the work crew. He goes by the name of Kaneki Ken: an anxious, scrawny university student who has a passion for reading. You get to be a firsthand witness to the changes that take place in Kaneki Ken's life, all while he seems to start taking a liking to your aroma.
1. Prologue

Teddy Bear

Prologue

 _Everything was so sweet, until you tried to kill me._

* * *

"Touka-chan!" The petite girl called as she made her way to the counter. She placed her elbows on polished countertop, resting her chin in her palms.

"I finished all my tasks for the day, can I go upstairs and start studying now?"

Touka looked up from drying her hands off on a white cloth. She eyed the innocent-looking girl peculiarly before seeing a pair of boys sitting at one of the round tables, waiting for their order to be taken.

"Hm… Go greet those two customers and write down their orders," Touka stated simply.

(F/N) whined childishly in response, her upper body slouching across the cafe's bar. Touka flicked one of the space buns (F/N) kept her long curls in for work. "This'll be your last task," Touka promised. She looked at the groaning eighteen year old again, "And get off the counter, I just cleaned it."

(F/N) pouted but obliged and grabbed her notepad before heading toward the two boys at the table.

Touka watched her and silently smiled to herself while she cleaned off a couple of coffee cups. (F/N) was the first human to work at Anteiku. Though she had an embedded envy for humans, Touka grew up practically raising (F/N), feeling empathy for the smart girl when finding out her parents had been killed by ghouls in her early childhood. They formed their own family with each other, and later on, the workers of Anteiku. The ghouls in Anteiku were initially skeptical of letting a human work under them, let alone stay in the upstairs dorms. However, with long discussions and persuasions from Touka, they all came to realize that (F/N) was harmless and not a threat to their identities and welcomed her with open arms into their close-knit family. Yoshimura did so easily, as he naturally had a liking for humans anyway. He also felt that having a human around so closely connected with the ghouls would be an excellent learning experience for them all.

She is the only human Touka allows to know the truth.

Touka and (F/N)'s relationship was much closer than sisterhood; (F/N) saw Touka as a motherly figure, even though they were the same age. They were an odd pair, Touka being more tomboyish and hardened on the outside, and (F/N) being on the more feminine and bubbly side of the spectrum. This balanced the two girls out nicely.

The boys sitting at their table seemed to have been in deep discussion when (F/N) walked over. The spastic, orange-haired one was the first to look up at her. "Is that her?" He whispered to his friend across from him, pointing to the short waitress heading their way. Kaneki Ken glanced at her. "No!" He exclaimed, "But she's pretty cute, too…"

"Hello, my name is (L/N) (F/N), what would you two like to have today?" (F/N) said cheerfully, holding up her notepad.

"One cappuccino for me, please!" The teenager spoke loudly in the younger girl's face, making her flinch as she wrote his order down.

Hide suddenly stood up from his seat and looked down at (F/N). "Also, are you seeing anyone?!" He asked a little too loudly once again. (F/N)'s eyes went wide as she gasped and clutched her notepad to her chest before scurrying back to Touka.

Kaneki watched in horror as his best friend managed to embarrass him once again. "Hide!" He shouted, "If you get me kicked out of here, I'll never forgive you!"

" _Touka-chan_ ," (F/N) whined yet again. She set the notepad down on the countertop, pushing it towards Touka for her to carry out the order. (F/N) pouted as she twirled one of the curls that fell out of its bun, "Boys scare me."

Touka chuckled, "You get used to it."

(F/N) was just about to head upstairs when the shop's bell dinged, announcing the entrance of Rize Kamishiro, the infamous binge-eating ghoul. Touka had warned (F/N) about her many times in the past. Both Touka and (F/N) noticed the glint in Rize's eye when she looked towards the loud boy's friend. The two waitresses then exchanged knowing glances.

That boy was Rize's next victim.

Touka saw the look on (F/N)'s face and quickly grabbed her shoulder. "Don't do whatever you're thinking," she uttered. Touka knew (F/N) wanted to try and warn the university student about interacting with Rize, but she also knew that if (F/N) kept Rize from her meal, _(F/N)_ would end up being the substitute.

(F/N) sighed and nodded in response. It was no secret that Kaneki held a mutual interest in the binge-eater; his blushing and wide-eyes as Rize walked in were not very subtle.

 _Stupid boys._

(F/N) decided it was not her place to worry about who ghouls hunted. They needed to eat somehow. She turned and hummed happily as she made her way up the staircase, heading for her bedroom to start studying for midterms.

* * *

(F/N) wanted to accompany Touka in walking Yoriko home because it was much too late for her to go by herself. Touka first decided against letting (F/N) tag along, but eventually caved in once she saw the girl's infamous puppy-dog eyes.

The three girls passed by a darkened alleyway before hearing two voices from ahead. Touka and (F/N) both recognized that the voices belonged to Rize and the dark haired boy from the cafe that one day.

(F/N)'s eyes shifted to Touka.

"Is something wrong?" Yoriko asked the two girls, pausing to look at them. Touka seemed indifferent and turned away, continuing to walk along the pathway to Yoriko's house, "Nuh-uh. Everything's fine."

(F/N) stood still for a bit before following behind the other girls. She walked right by Rize and the boy. Her eyes filled with worry as she sped up a little to catch up with Touka.

Kaneki had caught (F/N)'s eye right as she passed them and instantly recognized her as the waitress from earlier that week. He silently wondered why she looked so scared for him.

* * *

(F/N) woke up feeling groggy. It was a rainy autumn morning, but she wasn't much of a morning person. Her messy curls flowed down her back as she sat up in her bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It was only 10:00 AM, and her shift didn't start until noon. She heard rustling downstairs, so she knew some of her coworkers were already working. She decided to go greet them and make her own cup of coffee. (F/N) got out of bed and stretched, letting out a small groan.

She heard Touka talking to a male voice. As (F/N) opened the door, the chatting ceased. She continued to rub her tired eyes while she walked behind the counter. Touka and Kaneki both stared at her, a small blush forming on the boy's face when he saw she was still adorned in her sleepwear. It wasn't anything special, but those PJ shorts were just a little too short for him to _not_ look at them.

Kaneki hated it about himself, but he had already accepted that he was indeed a pervert. He also couldn't help but notice that (F/N) didn't _smell_ like one of them. She smelled good to him. Abnormally good.

 _What's a human doing here…?_ Kaneki thought to himself. _Isn't this dangerous?_

After a few moments of silence, the only noise of coffee brewing filling the air, (F/N) finally looked up and blinked a few times to focus her vision. The first thing her eyes met were Kaneki's. Seeing him dressed in the Anteiku uniform immediately confused her.

(F/N) furrowed her brow as she set her sleepy gaze up at the taller boy, who seemed to fidget awkwardly under her gaze. (F/N)'s eyes widened. Kaneki slowly forced a crooked smile, knowing that (F/N) had recognized him.

"Um," (F/N) said. She quickly looked over at Touka. "What's he…?" (F/N) asked, pointing her finger at Kaneki as if he couldn't hear her talking about him.

"He works here now," Touka said simply, starting to clean off the countertop.

(F/N) gaped at Touka for a bit before looking back at Kaneki. He bowed slightly, "My name is Kaneki Ken, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

(F/N) continued to stare at him. Kaneki remained bowed, nervously awaiting her reply. (F/N) placed a hand on Kaneki's hair, gently ruffling it. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Kaneki Ken-kun!" The sudden touch made Kaneki gasp, and he stood back up straight, looking down at the short girl. "I'm (L/N) (F/N)," (F/N) finished with a smile.

Kaneki smiled, "I know."

 _Damn, that sounded kind of creepy_ , he thought.

"I-I mean, I remember you told me your name when you, um," he stuttered, scratching his temple. (F/N) kept her sleepy smile on her face while Kaneki flustered himself.

"Oi, (F/N)-chan be careful around that half-breed," Touka spouted, shooting a glare at Kaneki, silently warning him not to get too close to her. She didn't want to risk him gaining an appetite for her.

That wasn't in her control, though.

"Half-breed?" (F/N) questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll explain everything to you later," Touka said. (F/N) looked skeptical but nodded. Touka had decided against letting (F/N) know about the accident with Rize and Kaneki, feeling as if it wouldn't affect their lives. But this was before she learned Kaneki would start working alongside them afterwards.

(F/N) finished making her coffee and waved to Touka before heading back upstairs to her bedroom.

Touka looked at Kaneki and snapped her fingers in his face, bringing him out of his trance. He didn't realize he had been staring at (F/N) that whole time.


	2. Chapter 1

Teddy Bear

Chapter 1

 _Everything was so sweet, until you tried to kill me._

* * *

Kaneki Ken had been working at Anteiku for almost a week now, but he was just now mastering his coffee-making skills. Prior to this, he was only working as a table cleaner and dishwasher, so some adjustments had to be made to his working schedules. (F/N) was required to train him whenever their shifts corresponded since Touka asked for some time off to study for important tests. (F/N) obliged without a fuss, but she was quite awkward when she had to speak with Kaneki one-on-one. Whenever Touka wasn't around, it was as if (F/N)'s energetic attitude suddenly changed into more of a timid nature. Of course, (F/N) would internally get angry with herself for this, but she continued to remain calm and collected on the outside.

Kaneki was also an awkward character. He never knew how to approach (F/N). It wasn't that she was intimidating to him; hell, she was a generally quiet girl that only came up to his chest! Kaneki just naturally got anxious around new people, let alone _girls._

(F/N) seemed to avoid eye contact with Kaneki while she stood behind the cash register. There were only a couple of customers in the cafe today, so Kaneki decided take a little bit of a break. He looked over at (F/N) and felt the need to make conversation to fill the strangely silent atmosphere between the two coworkers. He hadn't really gotten the chance to actually talk to her other than following her instructions on how to pour milk into a coffee filter.

Kaneki leaned one hand on the counter and scratched the back of his head with the other, "So…" He tried to find something to talk about, "This is some nice weather today, huh, (F/N)-chan?"

He mentally slapped himself. _The weather? Really? Of all things?_

(F/N) furrowed her full brows and turned her to head to look at Kaneki.

"Kaneki-kun…" She began. Kaneki let a crooked smile pass his lips, hoping that this would be a successful attempt in small-talking.

"It's thunderstorming…" (F/N) said plainly and stared at Kaneki with a concerned look on her face. Kaneki's face dropped before he quickly reciprocated.

"O-Oh! Aha, I-I knew that, (F/N)-chan! I was just m-making sure you were paying att-," (F/N) interrupted Kaneki's failed attempt at trying to save himself. "I like thunderstorms, though, so I guess you're right," she said in a soft voice, looking away from him. Kaneki's expression went from an embarrassed one to a smiling one after hearing her answer. The sound of Anteiku's welcome bell ringing as the door opened brought the two teens back into their customer service mindset.

"Hello, welcome to Anteiku!" (F/N) cheerfully stated, acting as if she wasn't hiding a blush just a moment ago. Kaneki's eyes widened.

"Hide!" Kaneki exclaimed when he saw his best friend entering the cafe drenched in rainwater.

"'Sup, Kaneki? And a _hello_ to you, too, _(F/N)-chan_ ," Hide greeted Kaneki quickly and immediately turned his attention to (F/N) instead.

"I didn't know you were working with (F/N)-chan today, Kaneki!" Hide's loud voice disturbed the cafe's gentle atmosphere, turning the heads of the few customers. Kaneki nervously laughed while gesturing Hide to be a little quieter.

"E-Eh…?" (F/N) stammered, unsure of how to respond to the hyperactive boy. "I thought I'd stop by and wait out this downpour," Hide said, looking out the cafe's patio doors at the rain.

"Well, order something in the meantime then. I don't want you in here just to cause trouble," Kaneki told him, going back to drying off a few dishes.

Hide sat down at the counter and leaned on his elbow. "I'd like to order a (F/N)-chan," he said and winked at (F/N). "I've gotta say, you look really cute in those buns of yours," he finished, referring to the space buns (F/N) kept her thick curls in for work.

(F/N) was beyond flustered at this point. _Does he always act like this? Boys are so scary…_

"Hide!" Kaneki said sternly. Hide laughed, "I'm just messin' with you guys!" Kaneki sighed, "I'll pay for your order if you promise to leave (F/N)-chan alone."

"Whaaa, you serious? Hell yeah, I promise!" Hide had a dorky smile on his face.

Kaneki shook his head, "I'm sorry for him, (F/N)-chan." (F/N) turned away quickly from the two boys, not wanting them to see her blushing, "It's okay…"

Hide stared at her a while longer. "Huh, she didn't seem this shy when she waited on us the other day," he whispered to Kaneki. Kaneki looked at (F/N) before telling Hide that it's rude to stare. Hide stopped his staring but didn't miss Kaneki stealing side-glances at (F/N).

* * *

(F/N) calmly sat in the backseat of Yomo-san's car, sipping from a chocolate milk carton through a straw. Yomo was to go "food shopping" tonight, and (F/N) liked to tag along with him sometimes since she didn't get to see Yomo that often. Despite his cold demeanor, Yomo was like a father figure to her. He initially had trouble welcoming her into the Anteiku family, but he eventually warmed up to her and even became protective of the human girl.

"Yomo-san, why aren't we leaving yet?" (F/N) asked, wondering why he hadn't pulled off. Yomo looked out his window at Kaneki making his way to the car. (F/N) followed his gaze.

"Kaneki-kun's coming with us?"

Yomo nodded once, "Touka said she still needs to study, so Kaneki will be taking her place for the time being." (F/N) hummed an affirmation and continued drinking her chocolate milk.

Kaneki opened the door to the passenger's seat and paused when he saw (F/N) in the backseat looking out of her window.

"(F-F/N)-chan's coming?" He asked Yomo. Yomo nodded once again. (F/N) silently wondered if Yomo ever got tired of answering questions.

"I-Is it safe for her to…?" Kaneki stuttered as he buckled his seatbelt.

"It is," (F/N) answered for herself, making Kaneki look back at her.

Kaneki couldn't help but remain nervous, "I know we're going food shopping, but what exactly does that mean…?" Yomo kept his eyes on the road. (F/N) decided to answer for him again.

"Suicide victims," (F/N) said a little too casually, still looking out her window at the night sky. Kaneki's eyes went wide. Yomo decided to change the topic before Kaneki started asking more questions.

"(F/N), how is your studying coming along? Do you think you'll pass the entrance exams?" He said, his eyes still glued on the road in front of him.

 _Entrance exams?_ Kaneki thought.

(F/N) nodded, as if Yomo could see her, and held up a test booklet she had kept in her lap. It was Kamii University's admission exam review. "I think it's going pretty well. I've been-," (F/N) was interrupted.

"You're trying to get into Kamii University?" Kaneki asked, a little shocked. "I thought you and Touka-chan were in the same class?"

(F/N) shook her head, "I was able to graduate early. I took a lot of extra classes in my spare time." (F/N) looked away from Kaneki and down at the test booklet in her lap. She didn't know why holding eye contact with Kaneki was so hard to do. It made her mad at herself. Kaneki was too amazed at how studious she was to take notice of her avoiding his gaze.

"I'm a student at Kamii University," he said, which made her look back up at him. He was smiling at her. She was glad that her talking about school distracted him from them about to bag suicide victims.

"So whenever the manager said you were studying, you were actually studying for entrance exams?" He asked.

(F/N) blushed and turned her gaze back out of the window. "Not exactly… I would study for the entrance exams as well as midterms if I were to be accepted," her quiet voice seemed much louder in the silent vehicle. Yomo seemed to be pleased that the two were having their first actual conversation. (F/N) continued sipping her milk.

To say the least, Kaneki was impressed. "What do you think you'd want to major in," he asked her, still turned around looking at her. (F/N) shrugged, "I can't really decide…"

Kaneki nodded, smiling at her. He was in her position once himself before he finalized his passion for Japanese Literature. "Don't worry too much about it, you have plenty of time to pick something," he reassured her. (F/N) finally looked back at him and smiled sweetly, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

"Alright, get out," Yomo interrupted the two as he pulled off to the side of the road. (F/N) stayed in the backseat, absentmindedly staring up at the mountainside, while Kaneki followed Yomo to the edge of the cliff.

The next thing she heard was Kaneki screaming. (F/N) blew one of her long curls out of her face and continued calmly sipping her chocolate milk. _He must have leaned on the railing_ , she thought to herself. (F/N) looked at the cliff and debated if she should go try to help him, but decided against it once she heard Kaneki screaming again from the bottom of the hill.

(F/N) leaned back in her seat and finished her milk, reading through her test booklet. _Aaaand he found the bodies_.

* * *

Touka was back at work once her tests passed, and (F/N) was happy to be scheduled with her again. Kaneki was drying off a plate when Yoshimura told him that it might be time for him to get himself a mask.

"I need a mask…?" Kaneki asked, looking up at the manager.

Yoshimura smiled at the young man, "Yes, I think it'd be a good idea for you to have one.

"Inspectors are in the 20th Ward, so taking precautions to conceal your identity when out at night may be the right thing to do," he finished. The manager turned his gaze to the two girls working together. Touka had picked up several plates and cups from tables and handed half of the stack to (F/N). "Touka," Yoshimura called with a smile.

"Yes, sir?" Touka turned to face the older man.

"Kaneki needs to have a mask made, so would you mind taking him to Uta's tomorrow?"

"Wha..?!" Touka exclaimed, shoving the plates and cups she was carrying on top of (F/N)'s already-high stack. "A-Ah!" (F/N) stuttered as she tried to balance the suddenly added extra weight.

"But tomorrow's my one day off, and the last thing I wanna do is spend it with _this_ loser!" Touka said, ignoring Kaneki's taken aback expression. Yoshimura kept a smile on his face.

"I'd send Kaneki on his own, but I'm afraid he might get lost," he explained. "And as you know, Uta doesn't exactly reside in the safest part of town."

Kaneki remained quiet as he looked back and forth between the two.

(F/N) walked forward, finally managing to find a steady balance for all the plates and cups she was carrying.

"I'll go with him. If Touka-chan doesn't want to do it," (F/N) said in her gentle voice. Yoshimura frowned a bit at the petite girl.

"I'm not sure it'd be good for you out there without proper protection, (F/N)," Yoshimura told her. Kaneki agreed, though he didn't mind the idea of being with (F/N). "If it's as unsafe as Yoshimura-san says it is, then we're both going to be in trouble if something bad happens,  
(F/N)-chan," he said.

(F/N) pouted slightly and placed the stack of dishes on the countertop. "I can take care of myself," (F/N) said before smiling sweetly.

Touka surprisingly sided with (F/N), "She's not a baby." Though, Touka was secretly worried about letting (F/N) travel alone to the 4th Ward with Kaneki. Yoshimura and Touka looked at each other before nodding in confirmation; they both needed to let (F/N) go out on her own sometimes. She wasn't a child anymore and didn't require constant supervision.

Yoshimura turned back to (F/N) and smiled back at her, letting her know she had his approval to take Kaneki to Uta's shop. Touka's grin faded as soon as she turned her attention back to Kaneki.

"Listen up, Eyepatch," she began, "You better meet (F/N)-chan at 2:30 tomorrow at the train station. She tells me you showed up late, and I'll kill you."

Kaneki gasped and backed away from Touka slightly, "R-Right!"

* * *

Kaneki slowed his pace as he neared the train station, looking around for any sign of (F/N). There weren't as many people as their normally were at the station since it was just in the afternoon, but there were still enough to make it hard to spot such a short girl. Kaneki scratched the back of his head and furrowed his eyebrows, scoping the crowd as he kept walking.

"Kaneki-kun?" (F/N)'s voice was heard from behind Kaneki. Kaneki span around and was greeted (F/N).

"O-Oh, there you are, (F/N)-chan," Kaneki's pointer finger scratched his cheek, indicating that he was nervous. (F/N) smiled at him.

"I thought it was going to take me longer to find you in this crowd since you're so small," he chuckled lightly.

(F/N) nodded, still with a smile on her face, "I get that a lot."

This was the first time Kaneki had seen (F/N) in daylight out of her Anteiku uniform. She wore a dark oversized sweater with black thigh high socks and Mary Jane flats on her feet. Her long curls were out of their buns and instead flowed down to the small of her back. Kaneki blushed a bit when he had to admit to himself that she did look quite cute in her casual attire.

"So, are you ready?" (F/N) asked Kaneki, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Y-Yeah," he said with his signature crooked smile.

(F/N) began walking ahead of Kaneki to their destination. He followed behind her a couple steps back, and as their surroundings became more and more sketchy, Kaneki was confused at how calm the small girl seemed to remain. He stared at her back the whole way.

"You know the way to this Uta guy's place?" He wondered.

(F/N) nodded, "I've been there a few times. I think he's a fun person."

(F/N) had been meaning to ask Kaneki something for a while now, so she took this as an opportunity to do so.

"Kaneki-kun?" She said without stopping to look back at him.

"Hm?"

(F/N) finally had to pause at a pedestrian crossing light to allow cars to pass, giving Kaneki a chance to actually stand next to her for the first time. (F/N) had a puzzled look on her face as she placed a hand on her chin.

"Do you prefer to be called Kaneki-kun over Ken-kun?" She questioned, looking up at him with the same puzzled expression. Kaneki released a breath he had been holding; this was a much simpler question than what he was expecting.

"U-Uh, I guess so? The only person who ever actually called me by my first name was my mother…" He answered. (F/N) hummed in response, finally looking away from him once the crossing light turned green.

Kaneki didn't want their conversation to just end there; he wanted to keep talking to her and try to learn more about the mysterious, soft-spoken girl.

"(F/N)-chan," he said, trying to keep up with her pace.

(F/N) looked back at him with her large eyes.

"Do you ever get nervous being around so many ghouls all the time? Since you're a human and all…" Kaneki inquired.

(F/N) stopped walking, causing Kaneki to also stop once he was ahead of her. He turned to look at her. (F/N)'s eyebrows were furrowed as she stared at the sidewalk, and she looked as if she were contemplating whether or not she ever even _considered_ being worried about herself being surrounded by ghouls. She was quiet for a couple moments before she finally opened her mouth.

"No," she answered simply and continued walking. Kaneki stared at her back once again, confused, before following. He still didn't really know how to approach her. (F/N) didn't speak with a cold tone or a sharp tongue, more like an oblivious, distracted one. Kaneki noticed from the start that (F/N) was quite spacey, but not in the sense where her mind is full of nothing. It was almost like the exact opposite: her mind was full of _everything at once_ , but she only let a few things escape her mouth.

Kaneki frowned. This girl walking in front of him was brilliant. There a logical reason for her not being worried about her ghoul family devouring her in her sleep. Trust? Or maybe she just doesn't view ghouls as a threat. _Or_ she could lack the ability to tell when a dangerous situation _is_ a dangerous situation.

Considering the fact that she volunteered to escort Kaneki, an untrained ghoul, to a Ward that is known for its criminal activity, _by herself_ , the latter is sounding the most favorable.

"Kaneki-kun," the sudden sound of (F/N)'s soft voice disrupted Kaneki's thoughts, and he didn't even realize that she had stopped walking. Kaneki accidentally bumped into her small frame, knocking her to the side a bit, before he began profusely apologizing to her.

(F/N) didn't seem to mind, as she pointed toward the door to Uta's shop.

"We're here," she said.

Graffiti marked the walls as the pair walked down a shady staircase. Kaneki was still amazed at how (F/N) seemed unfazed by everything.

"Uta-san!" (F/N) called once they reached the lower floor. Uta didn't answer, and while (F/N) was glancing around for a sign of Uta, Kaneki was admiring the many masks on display. The shop had the feel of a high maintenance tattoo parlor: edgy but clean.

Cleaner than any other shop he had seen in this Ward, anyway.

"Where is Uta-san…?" (F/N) uttered to herself.

Kaneki noticed that one of the mask displays was covered by a white sheet. He went over to it and pulled the sheet off, revealing a crouching Uta.

"Boo!" Uta exclaimed.

"A-Ah!" Kaneki fell backwards and landed on the concrete floor. (F/N) turned around quickly at the sound of Uta's voice.

"Uta-san! What are you doing?" (F/N) asked, grabbing both of Kaneki's hands to help pull him back up on his feet. Kaneki looked away from her out of embarrassment.

"Everyone needs to have a good scare every now and then," Uta's smooth voice made Kaneki realize that Uta had a much more laid-back personality than expected.

"Kaneki-kun," (F/N) turned back to look at the tense boy, "Uta-san's going to be making your mask." She finished her sentence with a sweet smile.

 _Her innocence does not fit in with our current surroundings_ , Kaneki thought.

"It's nice to me-," Kaneki was interrupted by Uta grabbing Kaneki's shirt and pulling him closer, sniffing harshly.

"You smell very unusual…" Uta commented. He turned to look at (F/N), "(F/N)-chan? Why have I heard that the doves are prowling around the 20th Ward? Your Ward is pretty quiet, what kind of business would they have there?" Uta sniffed Kaneki once more, "I'm guessing it has something to do with Rize." Kaneki flinched at the name.

(F/N) crossed an arm and placed a hand on her chin, shooting a puzzled look at the floor, "It's possible… Touka-chan knows more about that stuff than I do."

Uta released Kaneki, "Hm…

"How's Touka doing, anyway?" The tattooed man began to reach for his clipboard.

(F/N) was now walking around the shop with her hands behind her back, staring up at all of the masks that decorated the walls. "She's good. It's her day off, so that's why I'm here with Kaneki-kun instead," she explained, still looking at different masks that Uta had made in the past.

Uta clicked his pen and pointed it towards a seat in the middle of the shop. "Have a seat over there, and I'll take your measurements," he told Kaneki.

Kaneki sat in the chair, stiff as a board, while Uta asked him questions about his preferences for his mask.

"So, Kaneki," Uta stood. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"H-Huh, no, I don't," Kaneki stuttered, taken aback by the sudden topic change.

"I see…" Uta wrote something down on his clipboard. Kaneki's eyebrows knitted together.

"What does that have to do with me having a mask…?" He wondered.

"The better I know my customer, the better their mask will turn out," Uta said simply. Uta looked over his shoulder to make sure (F/N) was preoccupied still.

"You're not interested in (F/N)-chan?" he asked Kaneki in a quieter voice. Kaneki jumped slightly and glanced behind him to also check to make sure (F/N) wasn't listening in.

"S-She's really cute, but she's a human…" Kaneki whispered. Uta hummed.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"Well, no…" Kaneki answered, "But I'm afraid I might hurt her."

Uta gently wrapped measuring tape around Kaneki's forehead. "You know, (F/N)-chan isn't as weak as you may think she is," Uta said.

"She's a quiet girl, but she's very smart. You've only known her for a short period of time, but I can tell she already trusts you, Kaneki-kun."

Kaneki blushed, "R-Really? How so?"

Uta removed the measuring tape and wrote down the numbers. "Well," he started, "She did walk you all the way out here without Touka around to protect her. I've never seen (F/N)-chan able to comfortably be alone with a boy before. She must trust you enough to do that much, at least.

"Besides, human and ghoul relationships are no sin. It's a rare combination, but almost every one I've seen lasts. Each party adjusts and communicates with the other, just like any other relationship.

"I believe having a human held so close to a ghoul's heart is good for their soul. You see, whenever I get a human customer, my pulse races. There's just something thrilling about the interaction," Uta spoke while he measured the back of Kaneki's head.

"D-Does your pulse race when you interact with (F/N)-chan?" Kaneki asked slowly.

Uta put the measuring tape away, writing down the final measurements. He chuckled lightheartedly at Kaneki's question.

"Jealous, Kaneki-kun?" He replied with a smirk.

Kaneki tensed up again, a blush tainting the apples of his cheeks. "N-No! I was just wondering if that could be why…" Kaneki's sentence drawled out. Uta put his pen down and looked at the teen with a smile.

"To answer your question, yes, it does," Uta said, standing up.

"However," he countered, "My pulse racing happens with any human I interact with. _Your_ pulse racing…" Uta smiled in the middle of speaking.

"…Could be related to something else if you're only experiencing it with (F/N)-chan."

Kaneki's blush deepened, and he looked to the floor, trying to hide his face from Uta. Kaneki looked to the right side of the shop instead to see (F/N) trying on different masks.

(F/N) turned around to face the two men, holding up a creepy-looking Chinese dragon mask in front of her face. She lowered the scary mask, revealing her innocent face.

What a contrast.

"I'd want this mask if I were a ghoul," she told Uta and Kaneki with a smile.

Uta looked down at Kaneki and smiled slyly. Kaneki simply chuckled at (F/N)'s antics, a small blush still adorning his cheeks.


	3. Chapter 2

Teddy Bear

Chapter 2

 _Everything was so sweet, until you tried to kill me._

* * *

"(F/N)-chan?!"

Kaneki gaped at the small girl standing by herself on Kamii University's campus. She was wearing her usual oversized sweater with cream-colored thigh highs, but he noticed she now had a large pair of round glasses on her face. Hide slapped a hand on Kaneki's shoulder. "Well, well, well! What do we have here…?" He said with a devious smirk.

(F/N) ceased nibbling on a breakfast muffin and turned to face the two boys. "Kaneki-kun," she whispered, blowing one of her messy curls out of her face before walking calmly over to them.

"No ' _hello, Hide_ '?" Hide tilted his head and made an excessively sad face. (F/N) stared at him.

"…Hello, Hideyoshi-kun," she stated, taking another bite out of her muffin. Hide clapped with joy.

"Did you hear that, Kaneki?! She called me Hideyoshi- _kun_! I'm definitely moving up the ladder at this rate!" The hyperactive teen exclaimed. While Hide spewed more nonsense about being able to get into (F/N)'s pants, Kaneki looked back at (F/N) to see her reaction.

"U-Uh," Kaneki stuttered.

She seemed indifferent. (F/N) wasn't even paying attention to Hide; she was looking in another direction, enjoying the last of her muffin. Kaneki sighed and shook his head. He elbowed Hide's side before scowling at him. Hide, always with his exaggerated emotions, began shouting different variations of ' _What was that for?_ 's and " _That hurt, dick!_ "s at Kaneki. Kaneki ignored him, Hide's voice becoming only background noise as he talked to (F/N).

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

(F/N) looked up at him, "I'm here for class, Kaneki-kun." Kaneki's eyes widened.

"You passed the entrance exams?!"

(F/N) nodded with a sweet smile. Kaneki smiled back, "T-That's great! What classes are you taking this semester?"

(F/N) reached down into her messenger bag and rummaged through a little bit before pulling out a folded piece of paper. She handed the paper to Kaneki for him to unfold and read, while she continued staring blankly around the campus.

" _Wha-ho!_ You've got Asian History with us, (F/N)-chan!" Hide said, peeking over Kaneki's shoulder at (F/N)'s courses.

(F/N) let out a silent gasp as her eyes widened, a small blush on her cheeks. She immediately returned to her usual deadpan expression and looked back up at the two boys. Kaneki was smiling at her. This didn't help with the fact that she was trying to hide her blush.

"That class is starting in about half an hour," Kaneki said, looking at his watch. "I-If you want, I could show you around campus before-," Hide inserted himself into the conversation.

"Kaneki, there is no way in _hell_ I'm going to let _you_ be the only one who gets to escort (F/N)-chan around!"

Kaneki held up his hands in defeat, gesturing for Hide to calm down. "Okay, okay," Kaneki sighed, "We can _both_ show (F/N)-chan around. Let's start at the science building since it's the closest."

(F/N) had zoned out, as usual, and didn't hear the rest of the two's conversation. She was still taking in just how beautiful — and _big_ — the school was. Her gazing was interrupted when she spotted one of the campus' picnic tables full of upperclassmen boys staring at her and snickering.

"'That a freshman?" One of the upperclassmen whispered to his friend.

"Looks like it," his friend replied.

"Damn… Someone needs to try to get that chick alone," another said. Laughter circulated around the table.

(F/N)'s eyes widened with fear. _They think I can't hear them_ , she thought. She quickly stood closer to Kaneki, gripping onto his left arm rather tightly. Kaneki and Hide's conversation was cut short, as Kaneki was taken aback by (F/N)'s sudden actions.

"(F/N)-chan…?" Kaneki looked down at her, his brow furrowed. He followed (F/N)'s gaze to find the table of older boys. Hide had already been glaring at them. (F/N) hid her face in Kaneki's jacket.

Kaneki knew what was happening as soon as he saw the apparent frown on most of the boys' faces once (F/N) clung to him. His stare suddenly grew cold, and he gently removed (F/N) from his arm and instead placed one of her hands in his own. (F/N) looked at their fingers being intertwined, her blush brighter than ever, and immediately tried to pull away from Kaneki out of embarrassment. It was no use, though. Kaneki's grip on (F/N)'s hand tightened as soon as he felt her pulling. His eyes shifted down to look at her and were much more loving than when he was staring at the boys. He offered her a small smile.

"You're safe," he whispered to her.

(F/N) was easily flustered by this and broke eye contact quickly. She nodded, though, trusting that he was right. Kaneki kept holding her hand as he began to walk in the direction of the science building. (F/N) followed along without a fight.

Hide, however, was fuming. He wasn't going to let some assholes even _think_ of disrespecting one of his friends!

He began marching over to their table.

"Hide, no," Kaneki called, but this didn't stop Hide from confronting the upperclassmen. Kaneki sighed, letting Hide go about his business, and looked back at (F/N), whose usually-aloof expression was changed to a sad one for what seemed like the first time ever to Kaneki. He tried to make her feel better by giving her another smile. (F/N) looked at the ground and allowed a grin to pass her lips. Kaneki didn't ignore how (F/N) continued holding his hand the whole time he was showing her around Kamii University's campus.

* * *

During class, (F/N) had taken a seat next to Kaneki. Only then did she let go of his hand, and he secretly wished she hadn't. Kaneki spent most of class glancing down at (F/N), watching her take detailed notes on the professor's lecture. If he wasn't already aware before, it was now very apparent that she really was a hardworking student. Her typically distracted attitude contradicted harshly with how focused she was during class. Kaneki felt slightly embarrassed at how the amount of notes he was taking dulled in comparison to (F/N)'s. He moved an arm to conceal his paper from her view.

In the middle of the lecture, Hide slipped into the large classroom and managed to shimmy over to the seat on the other side of Kaneki. "Hey, man," Hide whispered to him. Kaneki looked at Hide, and his eyes widened.

"Hide! What happened to you?!" Kaneki questioned, trying his best to keep his voice down so that he didn't draw any of their classmates' attention to them. Hide's face was bruised, and his lip and eyebrow were all cut up. He flashed a cheesy smile and scratched the back of his head.

"Ehh," Hide chuckled quietly, "Those dumb punks kinda got the best of me…" Kaneki face-palmed and shook his head. "Well, you can't say I didn't try to stop you," Kaneki whispered back, trying to keep his frustration from showing in his tone.

"Hide-kun," a soft voice was heard from beside Kaneki. Both boys looked at (F/N) to see her leaning forward on their row's lecture hall table, allowing her to properly view Hide on the other side of Kaneki. Her eyes were blank, but her lips formed a small frown once she saw Hide's injuries.

"You didn't have to do that, Hide-kun," she told him. (F/N) didn't try to whisper, as her normal speaking voice was already almost the same volume of average whispering. Kaneki stared at (F/N). This was the first time the whole class period she had looked anywhere but the board or her notebook. Hide grinned at her, giving her a thumbs up signifying that he was fine.

"I know I didn't _have_ to, but was I just supposed to sit back and let some dickwads think they can mistreat my princess?!" Hide exclaimed in a hushed voice. Kaneki cringed at his words.

(F/N) blinked. She wordlessly sat back in her seat and resumed her note-taking. _Hide may be a little creepy, but he has good intentions. I'm thankful for him_ , (F/N) thought as she stared intently at her notebook. She smiled to herself.

While their professor continued her speech, Kaneki ended up taking several glances at (F/N) the entire class time. This did not go unrecognized by Hide.

Hide nudged Kaneki and leaned over to him. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's desperate for (F/N)-chan," he snickered. Kaneki blushed immediately and continued writing his notes, trying to ignore his best friend.

At the end of the lecture, (F/N) packed her notebook away in her bag and got up, but Kaneki grabbed her arm before she was able to leave the classroom. (F/N) turned back to look at him with a confused look on her face. Kaneki quickly let go of her and scratched his temple, blushing.

"U-Uh!" He stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse for his action. "I-I thought we could walk to Anteiku together! My shift is starting soon anyway, and I don't know if those guys from earlier might be hanging around…" Kaneki trailed off, looking down at the floor to try and hide his embarrassment. (F/N) stared up at him for a bit and eventually smiled. She simply adjusted her glasses and nodded in agreement.

 _She's so cute_ , Kaneki thought with a nervous chuckle. Just then, Kaneki was startled by hands being slapped on his shoulders.

"Don't think I'm gonna let you two hang out without me!" Hide said, followed by him giving Kaneki a noogie.

"A-Ah! Cut it out, idiot!" Kaneki shouted. While he was trying to wriggle out of Hide's grip, Kaneki was silently thanking the gods, the planets, anything that held a religious symbol, that (F/N) never considered his embarrassing moments to _be_ embarrassing. He thought she was just oblivious or didn't register his embarrassment, and while that _was_ the case, she also just found his embarrassment adorable in a strange way. She was quietly smiling at the two boys when she suddenly felt her stomach rumble. She placed a hand on it and stared forward with a puzzled expression.

Kaneki and Hide heard (F/N)'s stomach growling and ceased their struggling. They both looked at her for a second before Kaneki forced himself away from Hide, knocking the poor boy backwards.

"A-Are you hungry?" Kaneki asked the small girl. (F/N) looked up at him, and hummed in affirmation.

"Nn," she nodded. Hide found his balance and joined the conversation.

" _He-ey_! We should all stop by this new bakery I've been wanting to try on the way to Anteiku!" He wrapped an arm around Kaneki's shoulder. (F/N) glanced at Kaneki and immediately noticed the worried look on his face.

He didn't know if he could handle being around human food.

(F/N) gave Kaneki a reassuring smile and gently intertwined their fingers once more. "I've been wanting to try that place, too, Hide-kun," (F/N) said, pulling Kaneki along with her as she walked out of the lecture hall.

* * *

The aroma of fresh, creamy pastries, cupcakes, and sweets filled the air of the newly opened bakery, sending Hide and (F/N) into a hypnotic state.

Kaneki wanted to vomit.

His face noticeably scrunched up as soon as the smell hit his nostrils. He quickly placed a hand over his nose and mouth to try and block out the tainted air. While Kaneki was silently suffering, Hide led (F/N) over to the bakery's display case that contained many different kinds of desserts. (F/N)'s eyes were wide with amazement at the amount of food in front of her; she even almost caught herself drooling! Kaneki remained standing near the door. Hide looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You don't want anything, man?" He asked Kaneki. Kaneki shook his head.

"I-I'm not that hungry right now," Kaneki came up with the quickest excuse. Hide stared at him and eventually shrugged.

"Eh, suit yourself. More for us," Hide turned back to (F/N).

(F/N) ended up buying herself a strawberry creampuff tart, and Hide got a large slice of shortcake. He snickered at Kaneki.

"This was your chance to offer to buy (F/N)-chan's food for her," he laughed at the still-suffering boy. (F/N) stared up blankly at Hide.

"Hide-kun," her soft voice began, " _You_ could have bought this for me. But you didn't."

Hide's laughter died down and was replaced with a blush of embarrassment.

"Ah," Hide scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously, "You got me there."

(F/N) was about to sit down with her plate of sweets in one of the booths inside the bakery shop when she heard Kaneki's voice. "(F/N)-chan, let's eat outside instead," he told her. (F/N) looked up at him and saw the desperation in his eyes. He was feeling sick. It was apparent in how pale his face looked under the bakery's dimmed lighting. (F/N) nodded and led the boys to one of the tables outside the shop.

Kaneki was hit with a feeling of relief as soon as he could comfortably inhale the outside air. He mentally admitted that he still needed to practice being around human food.

Kaneki and Hide sat down at a round table with (F/N), who was too fascinated with her pastry puff to notice that Kaneki was still feeling a little discomfort. Kaneki felt his nausea increasing as he watched (F/N) and Hide taking bites of their desserts. He placed a hand on his mouth, leaning his elbow on the table, and tried his best to look anywhere else but at them.

 _(F/N)-chan's tart is bigger than_ she _is! This is going to take a while_ …, Kaneki shut his eyes and focused his mind on anything other than the food in front of him.

The two teens ate in a comfortable silence while Kaneki felt like he was going to pass out. After what seemed like a century passed, (F/N) finally wiped her mouth with a napkin and smiled sweetly.

"Done," she said. Hide had been finished with his food; he was quicker eater, meaning he would always literally finish his plate just minutes after receiving it. (F/N), on the other hand, would take smaller bites and savor the taste of each one.

Kaneki looked at (F/N) empty plate, nothing left on it but the crumbs of the tart.

 _How in the world did she manage to finish all of that?_ He wondered. Whatever she ate, and however much she ate of it, it never showed on her weight. Hide stretched and asked Kaneki if he was ready to leave, breaking him away from his thoughts.

Kaneki nodded and was the first to stand, a little too eagerly, and slung his bag over his shoulder.

* * *

"(F/N)," Yoshimura called to the young girl. (F/N) was just about to clock out and head up to her room for the night. Her curls bounced when she turned her head to look at her manager. Yoshimura smiled at her.

"I believe Kaneki forgot to take his _food_ with him when his shift ended tonight," he told her, giving her a look. (F/N) raised her chin a bit and furrowed her brows.

"So, I was wondering if you could deliver it to him tonight," Yoshimura said. (F/N) tilted her head and looked out of the cafe's patio doors at the dark night. It was dangerous for anyone to walk around the city at nighttime, let alone a _girl_ , so (F/N) seemed iffy about the task at first.

Yoshimura continued explaining, "I would ask Touka, but I don't think she gets along with Kaneki the same way you do. I have his address written in the employee contact list."

(F/N) hesitated for a bit. She eventually shrugged off the possible dangers and turned back to Yoshimura. She accepted.

* * *

The walk wasn't as long as (F/N) thought it would be. The streets still had a decent amount of people walking around, so the journey didn't end up being all that dangerous. She gripped the package of human meat closely to her chest, ignoring any stares or glances that she received. Her eyes remained blank and faced forward.

She was sure she resembled a mindless zombie with one destination in her mind to the people she passed on the way to Kaneki's house. But she kind of _was_. Or that's how she liked to see herself anyway. Expressing her emotions outwardly didn't come naturally to her. She wasn't cold or ruthless. (F/N) was very sweet and kind, but those characteristics never really showed on her face; only if she was around Touka. She didn't know why that was. Maybe she just didn't know _how_ to express her feelings.

 _Oblivious_.

That word rung in (F/N)'s head over and over as she continued walking forward, clutching the package for Kaneki. Many people believed her to be the most unaware, spacious person, but _they_ were the ones that were unaware of how (F/N) would absorb and dissect her surroundings. She wasn't stupid. She was completely aware, always. And she hoped Kaneki realized this.

He did.

* * *

Kaneki was sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. His fingers were roughly pulling at his hair, trying to keep himself sane.

He was hungry.

Kaneki hadn't eaten flesh in a couple of weeks. The last time Yoshimura gave him a package of meat, he wasn't thinking properly and forgot to ration it evenly; he had eaten the whole slab within minutes. He cursed himself for forgetting to pick up his package for this week.

 _I can't go back out to pick it up now_ , he thought. _Too many people, too much flesh, too m-,_ the doorbell rang, interrupting his internal battle.

Drool ran down the side of his mouth, and he tried to steady his breathing. Kaneki suddenly caught the tail-end of an attractive scent. He stomach growled.

 _Flesh_.

He ground his teeth together as he raced to his front door, his fingers fumbling with the lock anxiously before roughly whipping the wooden door open.

(F/N) was startled by the sight of Kaneki. Drool covered his chin, and his kakugan eye stared widely down at her while his human eye held a strong glare. (F/N) dropped the package of meat out of shock, which Kaneki hardly paid any attention in his current animalistic state. Red veins pulsed from Kaneki's equally red iris and extended into the skin surrounding his eye. He quickly snatched (F/N)'s thin wrist and harshly pulled her into his home, slamming the door closed with his heel.

"Kaneki-kun?" (F/N) said under her breath.

Kaneki let out a deranged laugh, his dark hair frazzled from all the pulling he did to it earlier.

" _You smell so good, (F/N)-chan, you know that?_ " His grip on her arm tightened and pulled her closer to him, and (F/N) was still too much in shock to move yet. Instead, she continued staring up at the taller boy with wide eyes. Kaneki's tone had a sneering, almost demonic, taunt to it, drool still rolling out the sides of his mouth.

" _You_ always _smell so good_ ," he continued playing with his food, " _It's always so tempting to just take a bite out of your sweet, soft skin!_ " He let out another haunting laugh as he imagined what (F/N)'s blood would taste like, and his crazed stare never left the supple-looking spot of flesh on her small neck. Kaneki opened his mouth wide and lunged forward, aiming to attach his mouth to the petite girl's throat. (F/N) acted fast.

She twisted her arm, causing Kaneki's arm to also twist, making him wince in pain. (F/N) then pulled her arm back, pulling Kaneki along with it, and kneed him hard right in his gut. The wind was instantly knocked out of him, and the impact sent him slamming his back against the front door. (F/N) returned to her normal standing position and looked at him blankly.

"What are you doing, Kaneki-kun?" She simply asked him. She remained in a calm state.

Kaneki blinked a couple of times, his kakugan disappearing after a couple of seconds. He then became aware of their current situation and quickly wiped away the saliva surrounding his mouth, looking up at (F/N) with a horrified expression.

"(F-F/N)-chan," he looked like he was going to cry. "I'm so sorry, I-I don't know w-what came over me…"

(F/N) continued to stare at him for a bit, listening to him utter phrases of self-hatred before reaching down to help him stand. Kaneki's hands were shaky. She decided to completely forget that this scenario ever happened.

"Kaneki-kun, you're hungry," Kaneki heard her sweet voice through his sobs.

"I brought you the food you left at work," (F/N) explained. Kaneki's breathing was choppy as he watched her open his front door again and point down to the package she had accidentally dropped on his porch earlier. His stomach growled once more, and his hands were quick to try and cover it out of embarrassment.

(F/N) brought the package inside and easily found her way Kaneki's small kitchen. Kaneki gaped at her.

 _Why is she taking this so lightly?_

He wiped away uncried tears with the back of his hand and followed (F/N) to his kitchen. His eyebrows were knit together in a frown as he watched her open the package of meat for him and set it on one of his clean plates.

"(F-F/N)-chan," he tried to talk to her. He wanted to know why she wasn't freaking out, why she was still even _here_ in his house. (F/N) ignored his attempt and instead turned to face him, giving him a small smile. Kaneki must not have known that his kakugan eye was activated once again at the smell of the fresh meat prepared for him. He continued staring at her with a saddened expression.

"Eat," (F/N) told him, pointing to the plate. She kept her sweet smile on her face. Kaneki hesitated, but he cautiously made his way to the slab of human flesh, his kakugan eye wide with hunger but not with the same madness as before. He began picking apart and devouring the meat, slowly at first but getting quicker with each bite. He was unable to help the excessive amount of grunting and slurping noises while he ate, nor the blood that ended up covering his lips, but (F/N) didn't mind. She placed a hand in his dark hair and ruffled it a bit, just like she did when they first properly met, while he continued stuffing his mouth.

"I forgive you, Kaneki-kun," she whispered to herself with a smile. Kaneki didn't answer her, for he was too busy relieving his hunger.


	4. Chapter 3

Teddy Bear

Chapter 3

 _Everything was so sweet, until you tried to kill me._

* * *

Kaneki panted as his posture straightened, blood and drool mixing together and dripping from his lips down his chin. He stared down at the now-empty, bloody plate, and his kakugan eye faded, returning back to his soft grey iris. His hunger was satisfied, but his emotions were a mess, and he quickly became aware of his surroundings once again.

He quickly looked beside him at (F/N), who was calmly gazing up at him with her hands folded behind her back. Kaneki stared at her with wide eyes, his breath still coming out in pants.

 _She's so… Relaxed?_

(F/N) lips were slightly parted, but not as if she were about to say something. It was more of an added characteristic to her tender expression. She simply handed Kaneki the napkins she had been holding patiently behind her back, waiting for the half-ghoul to finish his meal. Kaneki stared at the napkins before quickly taking them to wipe off his face, embarrassed that (F/N) had just witnessed him feeding.

It was quiet between the two of them; Kaneki's silence filled with discomfort and worry, and  
(F/N)'s, distraction.

"Kaneki-kun," (F/N)'s soft voice started. Kaneki instantly tensed up, expecting the worst from  
(F/N).

(F/N) turned her head to a dark study room in Kaneki's home. "You've got a lot of books," she finished.

Kaneki inwardly let out a sigh of relief, but he remained confused as to how such an innocent girl could just be so _a-okay_ with seeing a ghoul feast right in front of her, or even threaten to feast on _her_. Then again, she did grow up around ghouls, after all. She must have had this same scenario happen to her many times in the past.

Kaneki placed a hand on the back of his head and let out an awkward chuckle. "Y-Yeah, most of them used to belong to my dad… E-Ever since he passed away, I read his old books to feel closer to him…" He tried starting a conversation to ease up some of the uncomfortable atmosphere that only he was aware of.

(F/N)'s facial expression didn't change as she began walking towards the dark room, wanting to look around it. She didn't find her simple curiosity to be rude.

Kaneki's face twisted into a worried expression. "U-Uh!" He breathed out, trying to get a hold on his words as he watched (F/N) walking into his study. He's never had a girl over his loft before, so he wasn't sure how to go about things. Should he just treat it as if he were hanging out with Hide? Minus the farting and sex jokes? Should he watch (F/N) closely and make sure she didn't get herself into trouble? She wasn't a child, though…

"Kaneki-kun."

(F/N)'s gentle voice, once again, broke Kaneki away from his anxiety. He followed (F/N) into his study, the light switch now on, and saw her silently admiring all of the novels he had collected over the years. Kaneki's mouth stayed ajar, trying to find words to say to (F/N).

"D-Do you like to read?" He asked rather awkwardly. (F/N) nodded but didn't look at him.

"Most of these books have a really sad theme," (F/N) said to him. Kaneki looked at her.

"Have you read some of these before?" He asked, genuinely interested. (F/N) nodded again.

"I like horror and Gothic literature," she said and finally turned her head to look at him, "Have you ever read any Greek epic poetry?" Kaneki's face lit up, and he was the one to nod this time, completely forgetting about the traumatizing event earlier that night.

"Y-Yeah! I have a copy of the Odyssey and the Iliad somewhere in here…" He trailed off, scratching his temple.

(F/N) walked in front of some of the bookshelves Kaneki had in his cramped study, aimlessly tracing her pointer finger against the spine of each novel. Kaneki watched her and a relaxed smile traced his lips.

"(F/N)-chan," he called to her, sitting crosslegged on the carpeted floor, "I have a few American classics here, as well. Gothic, tragedy, poetry…" Kaneki listed off the different genre of books he found, laying each on the floor.

(F/N) walked over to where he was sitting and sat down next to him with her legs folded underneath her and her hands on her knees. Kaneki looked at her while she looked at his books. (F/N) placed her delicate hand on one book and raised it in front of her face, reading the title. She turned it around for Kaneki to see.

" _To Kill a Mockingbird_?" Kaneki said. (F/N) nodded.

"May I read this one?" (F/N) asked him, still holding up the novel in front of her face.

"O-Of course! You can borrow any of them whenever you want," Kaneki smiled at her. (F/N) changed her position so she now sat crosslegged as well and placed _To Kill a Mockingbird_ in her lap, flipping to the first page. Kaneki suddenly felt slightly worried.

"Y-You're going to read it here?"

(F/N) looked up from the paragraph she was reading and at Kaneki. "Should I read it in a different room?" She tilted her head as she asked the innocent question. Kaneki stood.

"Eh, no, I-I meant you're going to read it here, at my apartment?" He corrected himself, nervousness apparent in his tone. (F/N) was no longer listening to him, though. She was too involved in her reading to reply to Kaneki, and he noticed this too. He let out a soundless sigh before picking up _The Black Goat's Egg_ and sitting back down next to (F/N), but this time with his back against the wall. They both read together in a comfortable silence.

* * *

Kaneki had no idea how much time had passed when he finally tore his eyes away from his book to look at (F/N) for the first time since he sat down. (F/N) was still sat in her criss-crossed position, but her head was bobbing. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth was slightly open, emitting gentle breaths.

She had fallen asleep.

Kaneki placed his book down and frantically looked around his study, as if he could find an answer on what to do written somewhere in the room. He tried his best to keep his movements quiet, peering at (F/N)'s bobbing head. The clock on the wall in his kitchen read about 1:00 in the morning.

 _Shit, shit, shit, Touka-chan's going to murder me_ , Kaneki cursed. He was completely unaware of how late it was when (F/N) arrived at his home, and now she's been here for several hours! He thought it'd be too dangerous to take her back to Anteiku at this hour, and he also didn't want to wake her.

Kaneki stared at the sleeping (F/N) and quietly groaned to himself, frustrated and unsure of what to do. He finally came up with the idea to just let (F/N) spend the night, but he definitely wasn't going to make her sleep on his futon couch; he gets aches from just _sitting_ on that confined thing.

Kaneki cautiously tiptoed over to (F/N). He knelt down and looked at her for a bit, making sure she was still sleeping. Kaneki's right hand gently slid around (F/N)'s shoulders, giving her back support, and his other hand wrapped under her legs. He easily lifted (F/N) with him as he stood.

 _She's as light as she_ looks, he thought.

His eyes roamed from his steady grip under (F/N)'s knees, up to her peaceful sleeping expression. Her long, healthy curls flowed beautifully over Kaneki's bicep as her head rested against his arm. A blush formed on Kaneki's face when he realized he was _actually holding  
(F/N) in his arms_. His admiring gaze tore away from her sleeping form in his arms, and he carefully carried her bridal-style to his bedroom.

His bed was neatly made, so he had to shift (F/N)'s weight so her head lay on his shoulder, freeing up one of his hands to pull back the covers. (F/N)'s soft breathing tickled Kaneki's neck, and he bit his lips closed to hold back a gasp when he felt her sigh against his skin. Her arms were slung over his shoulders, and Kaneki was now only holding her with one arm, like you would a toddler. He almost didn't want to put her down once the sheets were all pulled back; he liked holding her.

With some hesitation, he finally placed his free hand on (F/N)'s back, supporting her weight, and carefully leaned down to lay her on his bed. Once her back hit the soft mattress, Kaneki began to let go of the small girl and stand back up straight. However, much to his surprise, (F/N) wasn't ready to let go of him.

(F/N)'s arms were still wrapped around his neck, holding him in place over his bed. Kaneki's eyes widened, and he turned his head to try and see (F/N)'s face. She was still sleeping. Kaneki clenched his teeth and gently tried to unwrap (F/N)'s arms from around him. When he was mostly freed from her embrace, he heard her lightly groan in her sleep. He quickly paused his actions and looked at (F/N) once again.

 _Still asleep_ , Kaneki's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He didn't want to interrupt her peaceful slumber. He held a cautious stare at her slack form. (F/N)'s long strands of hair spread out gracefully over Kaneki's pillow. He smiled a little. _So pretty_.

He was shocked by how he eventually managed to coo the sleeping (F/N) into releasing him. Kaneki finally stood upright, keeping his gaze on (F/N)'s face to make sure she didn't wake. He exhaled a breath he didn't even know he was holding and placed a hand on his forehead. Different explanations he could tell Touka tomorrow during their shared work shift ran through his mind while he started preparing himself a more comfy sleeping environment on his couch in the other room.

* * *

"Kaneki-kun."

A soft voice was heard in the midst of his dreaming. Kaneki's nose crinkled at the familiarity of the tone.

"Kaneki-kun."

There it was again. It sounded closer this time but still held the same gentle pitch as before. Kaneki had no plans on waking up any time soon. (F/N) frowned a bit.

A small hand touched Kaneki's shoulder and lightly shook him. "Kaneki-kun," he heard for a final time. Becoming frustrated with being waken up, his eyes blinked themselves open and immediately formed a sleepy glare — that is, until he realized who the culprit was.

"(F-F/N)-chan? What are you doing up? Is everything okay, are you hurt?" He bolted upright on his sofa, quickly looking her over to make sure she still had all her limbs. Kaneki hadn't realized that in his moment of paranoia, he had instinctively grabbed hold of (F/N)'s forearms, pulling her closer to him. She stood in front of him with his bed's blanket wrapped around her tiny frame, dragging behind her like a cape. Her thick curls were messier than usual, and some strands fell in front of her face. Blood had rushed to (F/N)'s cheeks in response to the sudden contact Kaneki initiated, and she sheepishly turned her head away from him and looked at the ground instead.

"Kaneki-kun," she whispered once more, avoiding his eyes. Kaneki's concern showed blatantly on his face as he stared up at her. He could honestly never get tired of the gentle way she spoke his name every time she had something to say.

"I had a bad dream," (F/N) muttered.

Kaneki was frozen for a second; he didn't know what to do or how to react. _Will offering her to sleep with me help or just make everything worse? Does she want to talk about the dream?_

He was unaware that he was still staring at her with an analyzing face while he quickly went through his thoughts. But (F/N) didn't know he was currently thinking of what to say back to her. He just looked stuck to her.

"Kaneki-ku—," Kaneki interrupted her.

"Y-You can sleep here with me, i-if you want, that is!" His cheeks were a furious rosy color by the time he finished his sentence. It was now Kaneki's turn to avoid (F/N)'s gaze. He was getting more and more nervous with each second he didn't hear a response from (F/N). He wasn't aware of the small smile (F/N) had formed.

"Nn," she nodded in affirmation. Kaneki's heart was racing, since this is the first time he's gotten so physically close with a girl. He nervously adjusted his position and the blankets so there would be enough room for the both of them on the compact couch. There wasn't enough room for (F/N) to lay beside him, which was a shock to Kaneki, considering how petite she was. His long legs took up a majority of the couch, which was obviously a problem if he was going to have to fit another person on the opposite end of the loveseat.

"U-Uh, w-we can both head back to my bed instea—," Kaneki was cut off by the sudden shuffling of a sleepy (F/N) reaching her leg over his thighs and sitting herself down on his lap. Kaneki was beyond shocked at how he could suddenly go from an uncomfortable sleep to _having a girl willingly sitting on his pelvis_ in under 5 minutes. He couldn't form any fully pronounced words at this point, and all that came out of his mouth were jumbled, stuttered versions of _what are you doing_. (F/N) was too tired to pay Kaneki's unclear and incomplete questions any mind, and she rested her head peacefully on his shoulder, just as she had when he was putting her to bed. Kaneki was frozen with (F/N) sitting backward in his lap, and he felt the gentle tickle of her breath on his neck once again. She had fallen back asleep in no time. Kaneki's jaw clenched, and his widened eyes stared at her nuzzling into his neck.

 _Oh God, oh God, oh God, there's a girl on me, there is a_ girl _! On me!_ He repeated in his head, mimicking how someone would react to finding a spider crawling on them. _Okay, okay, this is okay, just breathe, everything is fine, she's fine, I'm fine, we're fi—where do I put my arms now? What if she forgets this was her doing in the morning? Oh God, oh God, Touka-chan is going to cut my dick off if she finds out about this._

Kaneki was so caught up in his anxiety that he didn't realize how tense he had become; he hadn't even leaned back to lay down on the couch yet. He let out a stressed sigh, attempting to clear his mind of the worrying thoughts that ran through it. Kaneki slowly began to lean backwards, lowering both him and the sleeping (F/N) to a laying position, and carefully moved her to rest upon his chest instead of his shoulder. He wouldn't be able to sleep with her breath constantly sending shivers down his spine. The back of his head was supported on the loveseat's armrest, and he glanced down at (F/N) to make sure she was comfortable. She remained cuddled up to Kaneki's torso with her legs straddling his narrow hips. Kaneki quietly released some tense breaths through his nose as he awkwardly tried to figure out where to put his hands. He first tried resting them at his sides. The couch was too cramped for that, so he then tried putting his arms behind his head like how Hide does. Kaneki couldn't possibly keep those muscles stretched like that for the remainder of the night; they'd fall asleep! After trying a series of quiet and uncomfortable positioning, Kaneki frowned at the last option available. He didn't like the idea of holding (F/N) in such an intimate way; well, he _did_ like the idea of it, _a lot_ , but he didn't want to do so without her permission. He slowly lowered his large hands onto (F/N)'s slender back. Once he was assured that the added weight of his hands wouldn't wake her, Kaneki decided to go out on a limb and carefully pulled (F/N)'s body closer to his by wrapping his arms comfortably around her. He managed to continue holding (F/N) while simultaneously pulling the blankets up to cover the two of them.

After spending all of that time getting comfortable, Kaneki ended up not even being able to fall asleep. He was much too tense with the given situation, and his nervousness kept him awake. Kaneki watched the petite girl gently rise and fall on his chest with each breath he took. He admired that she was able to fall asleep so quickly — that was an impressive talent, especially when it allowed her to not be faced with this awkwardness.

He was also excited about the fact that she has a passion for reading much like himself. Hopefully this didn't turn out to be like the situation with Rize, except now Kaneki is the Rize and (F/N) is the Kaneki. As he frowned at the thought, his fingers softly caressed (F/N)'s back, drawing small shapes into her shirt. He was terrified of hurting the human. Not that she was as delicate as she appeared; she proved to Kaneki just a few hours ago how much stronger she is than she lets on. _Yomo-san and Touka-chan must've taught her_ , he smiled down at (F/N). But still, Kaneki didn't trust himself to be able to properly handle being around (F/N) for too long. Hell, he's risking a lot just having her inside of his home, and now here she is sleeping on top of him!

His arms then wrapped tighter around (F/N), almost as if he was unconsciously rejecting the idea of needing to stay away from her. Kaneki sighed through his nose before leaning forward to see if (F/N) was still asleep. She was.

He smiled again when he saw her sleeping face. Her mouth was partially opened, and her cheek was squished against his chest. Without realizing, Kaneki's hand had began stroking its fingers through (F/N)'s long curls. He quickly pulled away when he finally noticed himself doing so, afraid that he had just went too far with the physical contact. However, he heard a soft, sleepy whine emit from the human girl on top of him, and he could tell (F/N) missed the feeling of his hand playing with her hair. Kaneki was still tense and awkward regarding the situation, but he relaxed a little when he once again felt (F/N)'s soft curls glide against his long fingers. He heard (F/N) make another noise in response to the contact, but this time it sounded more like a pleased sigh.

 _This is nice_ , Kaneki thought. _I've never done this before, but this feels so… So normal. I feel normal again. Like when I was a human. I'm doing human things. I like this. I like this a lot._

* * *

Kaneki didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but he was certainly shocked at the sight before him when he woke.

He felt a weight on top of him as he blinked awake. It wasn't a heavy weight, but it _was_ a weight. His eyebrows knit together, and he looked down at his chest. Kaneki's grey eyes widened tremendously at the still-sleeping (F/N) on his chest, straddling his waist. _How the fuck did this happen?! Was I actually able to have (F/N) fall asleep on me?!_

Wide awake, his tense nervousness from last night returned, and he had _no_ idea what to do now. He tried cooing her awake, gently shaking her sides.

"(F-F/N)-chan, (F/N)-chan…"

(F/N)'s eyes eventually fluttered open, and she stared at the couch cushion in front of her face with a sleepy gaze. Kaneki, relieved that she had woken up, ceased all movement, afraid of what might happen next. (F/N) felt a warm body beneath her and arms resting on her back. Her eyes also widened when she became familiar with her surroundings. She slowly sat up on Kaneki's lap and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Kaneki stared up at her with a crazed expression, wondering what she was going to do. His arms remained wrapped around her, as he was too nervous to do anything right now. (F/N) finally made eye contact with the anxious half-ghoul below her, and his eyes were still just as wide as hers were. They stared at one another while staying in their awkward position, and (F/N) was the first to speak.

"Goodmorning, Kaneki-kun," she smiled sweetly at him, her eyes now relaxed. Kaneki's already-blushing face burned a deeper shade of pink as he quickly looked away from her.

"G-Goodmorning…"

He then realized his hands were still on her waist and quickly pulled them off. "I-I'm sorry, y-you had said you had a bad dream last night, a-and then you came in here—" Kaneki's shaky stuttering was cut off when he saw (F/N) nod.

"I know, Kaneki-kun, I remember," her soft voice chimed. She turned and shimmied herself off of the astonished Kaneki. He had trouble just believing that a girl actually slept on top of him, but now he has to believe that the same girl was being so casual about it? (F/N) faced Kaneki, who was now also getting up from the couch, and bowed in front of him.

"Thank you for taking care of me last night," he heard her say. He stood and awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"O-Oh, y-you don't have to thank me for that, (F/N)-chan," Kaneki replied with a crooked smile. (F/N) straightened herself, and he noticed her confused expression.

"I… don't?" She muttered. Kaneki couldn't tell if she was asking him or herself. He shook his head and smiled at her.

"Of course not, you're welcome to come over any time you like."

(F/N) beamed at this. She was gaping at Kaneki with her mouth slightly ajar. Kaneki didn't get why this was such a shock to her.

"Kaneki-kun…" (F/N) quietly began, still goggling up at him. Kaneki tilted his head with curiosity.

"Does that mean I can…" (F/N) looked down shyly, almost as if she was embarrassed to ask.

"Hm?" Kaneki raised an eyebrow.

"…Use your shower?!" She lifted her head back up, and her eyes sparkled with a hope that Kaneki didn't really seem to understand. But he was taken aback by the request, and with good reason too. First spending the night at his home and _now_ using his shower? They're doing things that human couples do, and Kaneki was both excited and overwhelmed by these very normal scenarios. While they were typical human events, they were still new experiences for Kaneki; this was the most Kaneki has ever done with a girl, and he and (F/N) haven't even _kissed_. Realization finally struck him, and his grin turned into an anxious expression.

 _(F/N)-chan wants to use_ my _shower…_

"U-Uh!" Kaneki stammered, and (F/N) continued staring up at him with a hopeful, yet determined, gaze. He glanced at the clock on the wall in his kitchen; it was only 8 AM, and neither of them worked until 10, so there was plenty of time for her to wash up. "S-Sure, but did you bring anything to change into?"

(F/N)'s adamant look slowly changed into a pursed one. With her plump lips now pressed into a straight line, she appeared conflicted, but she still managed to not break eye contact with Kaneki.

The sudden appearance change told Kaneki that, no, she didn't bring anything to change into. Kaneki nervously straightened his posture and decided to make the situation a little easier for her and let her pick out one of his shirts to wear. Note that I said this would be easier _for her_ , but Kaneki, on the other hand, was an embarrassed mess. He led her to his bedroom, giving her the opportunity to choose one of his articles of clothing. She was hesitant in doing so, probably from feeling so awkward.

 _You have no idea how_ I'm _feeling right now, (F/N)-chan_ , Kaneki mentally cursed. He hadn't even had a chance to just fully comprehend one event before another one happened right after. He watched as (F/N)'s delicate hands fingered through his closet and eventually pulled out a simple white sweatshirt. Kaneki admittedly wasn't a big guy, but his long sleeve shirt (F/N) held in front of her face was long enough to reach just above her knees.

"May I wear this one?" Her timid voice asked, bringing Kaneki out of his thoughts. He gave her a awkward smile.

"Y-Yeah, of course!"

Kaneki grabbed a couple towels out of the hallway closet and showed (F/N) the way to his main bathroom. He handed the towels to the shorter girl. "L-Let me know if you need any help!" Kaneki added. When he closed the bathroom door behind him, giving (F/N) some privacy, he let out an exasperated sigh. _How the hell did I manage to get through that? And did I just offer to_ help _her?!_

(F/N) carefully undressed herself, not thinking about the fact that she's in a _boy's_ house, in a _boy's_ shower. The only thought going through her head was the want to shower right now. She wasn't dirty or smelly (Kaneki could approve this), she just wanted to make up for not being able to shower last night. She placed her clothes and Kaneki's shirt off to the side of the bathroom and began to run the water.

* * *

Kaneki was fidgeting on his now-blanketless couch. _Maybe I should make her some breakfast for when she gets out of the shower? But what would she like?_

He thought back to the morning he saw her eating a breakfast muffin before class. He was sure he _at least_ had some kinds of muffins stored in his pantry! Kaneki rushed over to the large cupboard in his kitchen, quickly rummaging through all the food he had that he could no longer eat.

" _Ah-ha!_ " He exclaimed to no one. "Banana muffin!"

* * *

Water gently washed the suds off of (F/N) soft skin. She closed her eyes and basked in the wet warmth. Her hands raised to start rinsing out her long hair, but the instant her fingers caressed her own scalp, her eyes opened. That touch seemed familiar, as if someone had done the exact same thing to her head not too long ago.

"Kaneki-kun…" (F/N) breathed.

She took her time softly washing her hair, not wanting to rush the peace and tranquility of her shower. Once she was done, she patted her supple skin dry with one of the fluffy towels Kaneki gave her and threw on his sweatshirt. Her hair appeared even longer due to its wetness and flowed down near her hips. (F/N) opened the bathroom door and was greeted by a nervous Kaneki holding a muffin in his hands.

"U-Uh, I thought y-you might be hungry, so I wanted to get you something to eat," he somehow managed to barely stumble over his words.

(F/N) stared at the blushing ghoul. "Kaneki-kun," her hushed voice muttered. She kindly took the muffin from Kaneki's larger hands and unwrapped it from its plastic bag. Kaneki watched as she took small bites out of the pastry. _Success!_ He applauded himself. Her eyes locked with his once more.

"Kaneki-kun," she said again in the middle of her chewing. Kaneki looked at her in wonder.

"Can you brush my hair?" (F/N) asked quietly. The hair on Kaneki's arms and legs all stood up as he was frozen with shock. His sudden tense posture told (F/N) that his answer was no. She looked away from him, a little disappointed.

"It's okay if you don't want—"

"I-I'll do it!" Kaneki managed to find his voice and cut her off. Her head quickly turned back to look at him, a small blush tinting her high cheekbones. Her open mouth shifted into a soft smile.

* * *

The two sat on Kaneki's couch small living room, the same one they had slept together on just a few hours ago. (F/N) had situated herself between Kaneki's legs and continued munching on her muffin. Kaneki, though blushing, firmly held a brush that he hardly ever uses in one hand and a lock of (F/N)'s wet curls in the other. The first few strokes of the brush were a little harsh on (F/N)'s scalp, but after getting the tangles out, the bristles glided smoothly through her long hair. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself while still eating. The feeling of touching her own hair couldn't even compare to how wonderful it felt when Kaneki touched it. Kaneki was eventually able to relax, too, after realizing brushing (F/N)'s hair was soothing for him as well. He decided to take a risk and break their comfortable silence.

"You know, I've always really liked your hair, (F/N)-chan," he smiled.

(F/N)'s eyes widened, and she stopped chewing. She was thanking the gods that Kaneki couldn't see her face right now because she knew she had to have been the same color as a red-hot fire engine.

"I-Is that s-so…?" (F/N) managed to say. Kaneki continued brushing the long strands, but didn't ignore the fact that this was the first time he's heard (F/N) actually trip over her words before.

"Mhm, I-I think it's really pretty," Kaneki flushed out of embarrassment. Oh, if only he could see the look on (F/N)'s face right now; _that's_ what _true embarrassment_ looks like. (F/N) hadn't said anything back, so Kaneki wondered if she didn't hear his compliment. He paused grooming her hair and leaned forward a bit to see if she was even listening to him. As soon as (F/N) felt him trying to look at her, her hands immediately shot up, dropping her unfinished muffin on the carpet, to cover her still-red face.

"D-Don't look!" Her muffled voice was heard from beneath her hands. She didn't want him to see her in such a humiliating state. She wasn't used to being told genuine compliments; therefore, she had no idea how to react to them. This was the most emotional reaction Kaneki has ever seen her show in front of him before — though he still technically couldn't see her. He took the liberty of putting the brush down and reaching around (F/N) to take her wrists in his hands, gently pulling them away from her face. What was revealed was a very flustered (F/N).

(F/N) eventually turned her head to look at Kaneki, embarrassed _by_ her embarrassment. Kaneki smiled warmly at the sight. Without needing an explanation, he understood that there was much more emotion to (F/N) than what meets the eye. His wordless acceptance of her made (F/N) relax a bit, but her blush was still very much apparent.

"How about I try braiding your hair?" He offered with an endearing look in his eye.

(F/N) stared at him before straightening herself and nodding, fixing her posture so Kaneki had more room to work. The hair on the back of her neck stood when she felt his pointer finger trace down the middle of her scalp, separating her hair into two halves.

"Okay, how should I start this…" He thought out loud.

It took a while for him to begin a braid, and (F/N) was much too flustered to offer any help, but he eventually got the hang of the finger-and-wrist-flicking techniques, and (F/N) had one long, complete braid. Kaneki sighed with relief.

"Now, for the other side…" He began the same braiding process with the remaining hair on the other half of (F/N)'s head. Kaneki noticed how (F/N) seemed to be relaxing under each of his touches. He had a gentle smile on his face as he focused on the finger-twisting and wrist-flicking.

* * *

" _Aaaaand_ all done," Kaneki announced once he finished the second braid, proud of his work. (F/N), who remained seated between his legs on the couch, reached up to feel the braids Kaneki gave her. The plaits were surprisingly tidy for a hairstyle novice like Kaneki, who had the blessing of only needing minimal effort to ruffle his hair into place every day. (F/N)'s fingers felt how her fluffy curls were now constricted into braids that travel from her scalp, all the way down to her waist in long, tight pigtails. Color her impressed.

(F/N) soon returned back to her previous timid attitude, turning her face away from Kaneki to hide her blush.

"T-Thank you, Kaneki-kun," she spoke softly. Kaneki let out a small chuckle at (F/N)'s shy behavior.

"Of course, it was actually kind of fun doing your hair," he smiled. "I think it looks cute on you."

That was the last straw. (F/N) was already terribly ashamed of her flushed face as it is, and now Kaneki's just multiplying that horrible feeling! Her hands quickly returned to her face, concealing her warm cheeks, and her heartbeat quickened.

"S-Stop that…" She muttered through her fingers to Kaneki, who was confused as to what she was talking about.

"Stop what…?" He wondered, kind of worried that he crossed a line. Oh, he _did_ cross a line. How dare he say such sweet things without any warning!

"S-Saying those t-things," (F/N) whispered, finally willing herself to slowly bring her hands down from her face. She still refused to face Kaneki; she was much too busy trying to decode what this _awful_ feeling she was currently experiencing was. The flipping motions in her gut, her sweaty, shaky palms — was she going to be sick?

Kaneki stared at the back of (F/N)'s braided head with a confused look. It was completely out of character for (F/N) to be so nervous. _Does she not like being complimented…?_

"Why shouldn't I say those things?" He questioned her in a gentle voice, coaxing her to talk more on this issue. He couldn't see, but (F/N) was frowning at the floor.

"I-It's embarrassing," Kaneki heard her mutter. Boy, was _he_ shocked. He's never seen (F/N) act like this before, let alone _actually admit_ to being embarrassed before.

"Well," he began, leaning forward some to try and see (F/N)'s face again, "I wouldn't have said it if it weren't true." He gave her a warm smile. (F/N) tensed up yet again and abruptly turned her head to look back at Kaneki. She didn't expect him to be so close to her face, and both of their eyes widened considerably when they saw how close their lips were to each other. Kaneki was frozen in place, while (F/N) let out an audible gasp and quickly turned her head in the other direction.

 _This is too much, this is too much, this is too much_ ; it was now _her_ turn to have anxious words repeat in her head. Her hands clenched the ends of the oversized sleeves on the shirt Kaneki gave her, and she suddenly stood up.

"W-We should start heading to Anteiku, K-Kaneki-kun," she managed to say.

Kaneki remained seated in the same position on the couch, trying to fathom what just happened. Actually, he was still trying to figure out what had happened all within the past 12 hours. This had been very eventful for the two of them, which is why Kaneki couldn't seem to grasp why just a simple compliment could have such an effect on (F/N), especially in comparison to literally _everything else that has happened_.

He glanced at the clock in the kitchen for the second time that morning. _9:45_.

His eyes searched the room for (F/N) who had disappeared. _D-Did she just leave?!_

He relaxed when he saw she was just throwing away the rest of her banana muffin that she had dropped on the floor. Kaneki stood and stretched before following (F/N) to his front door. (F/N) was being awfully quiet. Well, she was normally quiet anyway, but this was a different kind of silence: an overwhelmed, uncomfortable silence. (F/N) knelt down near the door to put her oxfords on her feet, which were clad in her usual thigh-highs. She picked up her messenger bag and scarf she had hung on his coatrack. She wrapped the fluffy fabric around neck, covering her still-blushing cheeks. Kaneki slipped his shoes on as well and held the door open for the small girl.

The walk to the cafe was awkward and quiet. (F/N) was afraid of saying anything, worried that all of her words would come out in stutters. _How embarrassing_. Just then, she remembered something.

Kaneki was walking a few steps behind the short (F/N). He was caught off guard when she paused in the middle of the sidewalk.

"K-Kaneki-kun," she spoke quietly. Kaneki lit up; he was happy she was talking to him again.

"Y-Yes?" They were both a stuttering mess though.

(F/N) reached down into her bag, rummaged a bit, and pulled out a medical eyepatch.

"You forgot to put one on," she handed the eyepatch to him without making eye contact.

"Oh!" He quickly grabbed it from (F/N)'s small hands and wrapped it around his ears. "Thank you, (F/N)-chan. Say, why did you have one in your bag?" He asked. It seemed like an innocent question, really.

However, it was a _devil_ of a question to (F/N) when she was in such a vulnerable state. Her face scrunched up in a flustered expression, "I-I keep some in case you ever need an extra…"

She quickly turned away and proceeded walking towards Anteiku, her face burying in her scarf and her braids swinging behind her. _I don't understand this feeling,_ she placed her hand on her beating chest, refusing to turn around to make sure Kaneki was following.

Kaneki stood gaping at her answer before quickly pacing to catch up with her with a grateful smile on his lips. He was intrigued by this new side of (F/N).

* * *

Touka inevitably chewed them both out upon their arrival. More-so Kaneki than (F/N). She yelled at Kaneki, who winced at her harsh voice and sputtered apologies. While she continued hollering at Kaneki, she inspected (F/N) to make sure she wasn't hurt in any way.

"I'm fine, Touka-chan," (F/N) frowned, attempting to pull her hands from Touka's grip. Once Touka could affirm that no harm was done to (F/N), she let go of the human's slender wrists. Before Touka could scold (F/N) for not bringing her phone with her last night, (F/N)'s arms latched around the taller girl.

"I missed you, Touka-chan," (F/N) huffed into Touka's shoulder. The sudden affection took both Touka and Kaneki by surprise, but Touka was used to the clingy behavior of (F/N) and willed herself to relieve some of her intensity. She patted (F/N) on the back and had a half smile on her face, the first one Kaneki ever saw on her. _So she did have a soft side, huh?_

"Yeah, yeah, at least you're safe," she coolly brushed off (F/N)'s attachment. Touka's eyes returned back to their usual icy-cold stare once they met Kaneki's anxious one. " _You_ , half-breed," she spat at him. And just as quickly as her alleged 'soft side' appeared, it had vanished as if it never existed in the first place. _Never mind then._

(F/N), still clinging to Touka like a toddler would their mother, turned her head to look back at Kaneki. The usual sleepy, withdrawn look in her eye was back, and he could tell she was no longer in a flustered state.

Touka grabbed a washcloth and tossed it to Kaneki. "You're on dish duty this morning. _Get to work,_ " she ordered. Kaneki managed to catch the cloth, and hastily made his way to the sink.

"R-Right!" Nervousness was apparent in his tone.

After a few more seconds of glaring at Kaneki, she finally looked to the (F/N) still holding onto her, and her expression softened. "(F/N)-chan, who did your hair? It's really pretty," she asked, running her hand down one of the long braids.

(F/N) just couldn't catch a break. Her cheeks flushed for the umpteenth time that day, and she finally let go of Touka. Touka looked at her questionably before seeing one of (F/N)'s fingers point towards Kaneki . She stared blankly at (F/N).

"You're kidding."

* * *

Whenever their shifts corresponded over the next couple of days, it was surprisingly _not_ Kaneki who would get nervous, but (F/N). If Kaneki asked her to pass him a dish to wash, she'd do so with fingers that subtly shook; when she had to tell Kaneki an order he was to make, her quiet voice would tremble slightly. Of course, Kaneki noticed all of this but didn't say anything. He wanted to give her time to, um, _recover_ , I guess.

On one of (F/N)'s days off, she needed to go grocery shopping for her own personal food supplies. Her fingers held onto the strap of her messenger bag as she walked down Anteiku's staircase. She opened the "Staff Only" door and was greeted with a chatting Kaneki and Hide. Touka must've still been sleeping; it _was_ 7 in the morning after all.

"Ah, (F/N)-chan!" Hide exclaimed, making (F/N) flinch at how loud his voice was so early in the morning. Kaneki turned away from his dish drying and gave her a smile. (F/N), who still didn't seem to be over her and Kaneki's awkward moment, quickly looked away from him, too shy to return his smile.

"Goodmorning," she said simply to the two of them and headed towards the cafe's exit.

"Where're you going, (F/N)-chan?" Kaneki asked, seeing that she was actually dressed and not in her pajamas like she usually was when she came downstairs this time of morning. (F/N) looked down and nervously fidgeted with the ends of her playsuit.

"I need groceries," she told him in a soft voice. _Still with the shy act, huh?_ Kaneki wondered. Of course, he was still embarrassed by their _almost kissing_ moment, but he didn't want that to ruin their friendship. He decided to continue being gentle with her, taking his approaches slow and steady and waiting for her to open up more to him.

"Oh, okay. Be safe then," he smiled sweetly at her. (F/N) stopped in the doorway and finally made eye contact with Kaneki for the first time in several days. Kaneki felt his heart skip a beat when he caught (F/N)'s eye, something he subconsciously missed being able to do. She had been so distant recently, he missed even simple interactions with her. You can imagine the shock he felt when (F/N) returned his smile shyly.

" _He-ey_ , hang on, I'm coming too!" Hide called, flipping a couple yen over to Kaneki to pay for his usual cappuccino. Kaneki almost dropped the plate he was drying off trying to catch the coins.

"Hide-kun…?" Hide's voice came out of (F/N)'s mouth more as a question as she watched the energetic boy brush past her out of the cafe.

"U-Uh," Kaneki stared at (F/N) with a confused look. (F/N) looked back at Kaneki with an equally puzzled expression.

" _Oi_ , (F/N)-chan, come on!" Hide's voice was heard from the bottom of the cafe's entrance stairs. Kaneki shrugged at (F/N), not knowing what his best friend was doing — or planning. (F/N), starting to feel fidgety under Kaneki's gaze, adjusted her cream-colored cardigan before giving Kaneki a small wave goodbye. She headed down the stairs, and the door shut gently behind her.

Kaneki sighed out a breath he had been holding. _Damn Hide, what are you doing?_

* * *

Hideyoshi walked ahead of (F/N) in the direction of one of the markets in Tokyo's 20th Ward, his fingers locked together behind his head. (F/N) followed behind quietly.

"Hide-kun," she broke the silence between them, still walking behind Hide. He looked over his shoulder at his petite friend, letting her know she had his attention.

"Why did you want to come with me?" She asked him, tilting her head slightly.

Hide chuckled at her. "To get to know you better, of course!" He smiled and faced forward once more. _Gotta make sure this girl won't do the same thing to Kaneki that that purple-headed, glasses chick did._

Yes, he knew about Kaneki's infatuation with (F/N). Not that Kaneki ever said anything upfront about his feelings towards her; Hide could just _tell_. When the _incident_ with Nishiki happened, Hide had been talking to Kaneki prior to barging in on the snarky upperclassmen feeling up on his girl. Hide noticed how Kaneki tensed up and blushed a bit whenever (F/N)'s name was mentioned in that convo, and _boom_. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize something was going on between the two of them. (F/N) was being awfully silent right now though. Was she always like this?

"Hide-kun," the sound of her voice contradicted Hide's last thought, and he turned around to face her. (F/N)'s small finger pointed toward the shop she stood in front of. He understood what she was saying.

"Ah, first stop then," he said happily and beat her inside the small grocery store.

* * *

(F/N) mentally went over the products she's purchased. _Milk, cucumbers, those cute little panda cookies, tea…_

Her hand was placed on her chin as she was lost in thought. Hide tore his eyes away from some video games on display in a nearby store to look at (F/N).

"You know, Kaneki has a habit of touching his chin when he's hiding something," he chimed. (F/N) noticeably stiffened at the sound of Kaneki's name. _Interesting… Same reaction Kaneki had._

"D-Does he?" She said quietly, looking at Hide with genuine interest sparkling in her eyes. Hide didn't miss this, but he continued being casual about the topic.

"Mhm! One time, I asked him if he was finished with the porn video I lent hi—" (F/N)'s eyes widened significantly, and her hands quickly shot up to cover her ears. Thankfully Hide had been carrying her grocery bags because all of her items would've fallen onto the concrete.

"H-Hide-kun, stop! D-Don't tell me about that!" Her embarrassment was once again shown on her face. (F/N)'s long curls bounced as she turned her head to face the ground, avoiding Hide. Hide looked stunned; that was the most emotion he's ever seen her express before.

"Huh," he breathed. Even though that was probably the most typical reaction a girl could have to a statement like that, seeing _(F/N)_ respond in such a way was a bit out of character. He stopped analyzing (F/N) and remained his usual, happy-go-lucky self. Hide laughed loudly at (F/N). "Sorry, (F/N)-chan," he giggled, "but, _c'mon_ , you should expect that kind of stuff from teenage boys! It shouldn't be such a surprise to you."

(F/N)'s hands un-cupped her ears, and her distressed stare made its way to meet Hide's amused one. "I-It's not that, that's j-just really private stuff," (F/N) was at a loss of words. Hide continued laughing at her, causing her to feel really stupid.

"Oh man, you should've seen your face!" He joked. (F/N) turned away from him in a pompous manner, crossing her arms over her chest. The two's antics ceased when the sound of (F/N)'s stomach rumbling was heard. Hide straightened, getting the last few laughs out of his system.

"Wanna grab some lunch? It's on me. I owe you for embarrassing you like that," he grinned cheekily at her. (F/N), though frustrated with Hide, couldn't reject an offering of food that she didn't have to pay for.

* * *

"Okay, now we have to prepare the solution," Nishiki Nishio casually told (F/N).

(F/N) had wanted to look into pharmaceutical and medical sciences at Kamii University, and luckily she knew that Nishiki majored in that department. He happily agreed to teach her some of the basic chemistry that he had learned earlier that year. (F/N) saw Nishiki as more of a brother figure and his girlfriend Kimi, a sister. Touka didn't like the cranky upperclassman hardly at all, and every time the two ran into each other, it always had to be (F/N) that settled the both of them down before they ended up clawing each other's faces off. Much to Touka's annoyance, (F/N) got along surprisingly well with Nishiki and would even grow jealous when (F/N) spent time with him and Kimi instead of her.

Nishiki knew (F/N) was a human. He was skeptical of becoming even just acquaintances with her at first, much like he was with Kimi, but he soon warmed up to her presence once he realized she wasn't a threat. He even returned the familial love (F/N) gave to him and considered her as his little sister. Kimi felt sympathetic for (F/N), as she could relate to (F/N)'s loss of family; she, too, quickly became attached to the delicate girl, much like Nishiki did.

"(F/N), are you paying attention?" Nishiki looked down at her. (F/N)'s head was laying down on the lab table they were working at, her hands folded under her cheek. She had been staring at the bracelet Nishiki had around his wrist the whole time he was talking about chemistry- _this_ and chemistry- _that_. (F/N) finally sat up.

"Nishiki-senpai," her gentle voice said as she continued staring at Nishiki's bracelet. Nishiki raised an eyebrow in response.

(F/N) pointed at his bracelet. "What's that for?" She asked. Nishiki looked to where she was pointing and then smiled.

"Kimi and I have matching ones," he answered simply.

"What does it mean?" (F/N) questioned with pure innocence in her tone, still staring at the bracelet as if it were a rare jewel.

"I guess you could say it shows that we love and care for each other," Nishiki looked away with a blush. He resented this sappy shit. (F/N) continued to gape widely at the bracelet, and her eyes were filled with a twinkle of determination. _I could get Kaneki-kun and I bracelets! Because I… Care for him, of course! Yeah, I could do that!_

"What's up with your sudden interest in my bracelet, (F/N)?" Nishiki turned to look at her once more with his signature smirk, just… With a hint of confusion added to it.

(F/N), who was still staring intently at the bracelet, was brought out of her thoughts by Nishiki's question. She looked up at him and flashed _her_ signature smile of naivety. "I had just been wondering, Nishiki-senpai," she told him. He eyed her carefully before returning his attention back to the project in front of them.

Thankfully, they had this whole science room all to themselves. Nishiki, being an upperclassman, had special connections that gave him temporary access to normally _off-limits_ rooms. However, due to the danger of messing with chemicals, he had still instructed (F/N) to put on a lab coat and goggles. (F/N) didn't mind doing so, but her goggles kept pulling some strands of her tied-up hair, not to mention they were very big on her petite face and constantly needed to be adjusted.

"Okay, now where were we…" Nishiki muttered. "(F/N), can you go grab a small beaker from the lab across the hall? I think all the ones in here need to be washed."

(F/N) nodded and walked carefully to the classroom's door, the tail of her lab coat brushing her calves.(F/N) wasn't even able to take two steps away from the room before she froze abruptly in her tracks.

"(F-F/N)-chan, there you are!" Kaneki exclaimed with a nervous smile. (F/N) stared wide-eyed at him for a few seconds before registering who happened to be standing in front of her. All of her awkward memories regarding Kaneki fled through her mind in a split second but she recollected herself and managed to remain calm.

"K-Kaneki-kun," her posture loosened up, and she tilted her head some, "What are you doing here?"

Kaneki scratched the back of his head. "I could ask you the same thing… I kind of, maybe, wanted to eat lunch with you today… Are you busy working on something though?" He asked as he noticed her oversized lab coat and goggles. He tried leaning a bit to peak into the classroom (F/N) had just left. He had leaned enough to where his body was a little closer to (F/N), and (F/N), who was internally getting mad at herself for suddenly becoming so shy around Kaneki, relaxed herself by letting out a long, silent breath.

"I-I was trying to learn some basic chemistry for pharmaceutical science," (F/N) looked at the floor and mentally cursed herself for stuttering. _How did I become this weak?!_

Kaneki looked impressed anyway. He smiled at her, which both eased up her nerves _and_ made everything ten times worse. _Damn his cuteness!_

"Whoa, you're looking into pharmaceuticals?" He looked at her with awe. "I guess I shouldn't be so shocked. You _are_ brilliant after all—" Kaneki's last word was cut short by the door behind (F/N) opening wide enough for a head to poke through. And a head _did_ poke through.

"Eh, (F/N), how long does it take to go pick up a—," Nishiki paused mid-sentence and stared at Kaneki. (F/N) didn't even have time to react to Kaneki's compliment because the sudden sound of Nishiki's voice made her jump and turn around to face the upperclassman.

"I-I, uh, was…" (F/N) trailed off when she noticed the intense glare Nishiki was giving Kaneki. (F/N) couldn't see, but Kaneki's eyes had widened to the size of golfballs, and he was frozen in place staring back at Nishiki. His stomach had flipped all the way up to his throat, and his hands were shaking, but he tried his best to mask his fear.

 _What the hell is (F/N)-chan doing with this fucker?!_

Nishiki's face twisted in disgust as he squinted at the eyepatch kid. "Oi, (F/N), what the hell are you doing with _this_ fucker?" He demanded. (F/N) looked back and forth between Nishiki and Kaneki with a puzzled expression, feeling the tension between the two males.

"Nishiki-senpai—," (F/N) started but was cut off.

"You do know this is the asshole that tore a hole right through my gut, right?" Nishiki spat, not taking his venomous glare off of the trembling Kaneki. Kaneki cringed at the memory of losing his temper on Nishiki, but what the hell _else_ was he supposed to do? Hide had been hurt without reason! It was completely rational to tear holes in Nishiki, anybody would have done that had _their_ best friend been hurt too! Right?

A glimpse of what appeared to be shock passed over (F/N)'s face. _Kaneki-kun… Hurt Nishiki-senpai?_

(F/N) tilted her head to look up at Kaneki. She frowned at him, not out of disappointment, but rather a look of _Why didn't you tell me?_

"Kaneki-kun—," (F/N) was interrupted yet again.

"Was his punkass bothering you, (F/N)?" Nishiki finally revealed more than just his head and began walking toward Kaneki, who finally pulled himself together and was now matching Nishiki's glare with his own. (F/N) realized she needed to act fast and quickly wrapped both hands around Nishiki's arm, trying to pull him back before he could reach Kaneki.

"Nishiki-senpai—"

"Listen, you little shithead, whatever you're trying to pull on (F/N) won't work out so well for you if I shove that eyepatch of yours up your asshole," Nishiki ignored the small (F/N) pulling on his right sleeve and instead towered over Kaneki in an attempt to intimidate him. Kaneki, however, held a baffled glare at Nishiki.

"You think _I'm_ a danger to her? _You're_ the hotheaded psycho that said humans are nothing but food to eat!" Kaneki rebutted, his fists clenching by his sides. (F/N) peeked past Nishiki worriedly to see an angered Kaneki for the first time ever.

Nishiki scoffed and adjusted his glasses using the hand that wasn't being restricted by (F/N)'s grip. "Maybe I did say that, but there are two women in my life that are the exception," he smirked at Kaneki. "I'm not going to let _you_ or anyone else even have the chance of hurting either of them."

(F/N) was no longer listening to their argument; she was more focused on the passionate anger that Kaneki held within him. She'd never seen him get so worked up before.

"I'd never hurt her, and she knows that too! Right, (F/N)-chan?" Kaneki's glare softened slightly when his eyes shifted to meet with (F/N)'s. He tried to forget the incident where he was starving to the point of almost eating _her_ for his dinner. The immediate affirmative nod (F/N) gave told Kaneki that she didn't even consider that occurrence a threat.

Nishiki continued sneering at Kaneki. "Maybe (F/N) should have the chance to see how violent you truly are then," Nishiki's eyes swiftly became clouded with pure black as he activated his kakugan. Kaneki's kakugan eye was concealed by his eyepatch, but it had already been activated long ago.

Before either boy had the chance to start the brawl, (F/N) quickly stepped in the middle of the two, catching both Kaneki and Nishiki off-guard, as if they forgot she was there.

(F/N) scowled up at Nishiki, whose veiny black-and-red eyes were looking down at her in confusion. "(F/N), what are you—," (F/N) interjected Nishiki, much like how he had done to her earlier.

"Fighting isn't allowed on school grounds," (F/N) said boldly. Nishiki's face twisted, but when he saw that (F/N) wasn't going to move from in front of him, he sighed and blinked away his kakugan. Kaneki did the same.

(F/N) finally relaxed and exhaled a breath. She looked back up at Nishiki with a softer expression this time.

"Kaneki-kun… Is my friend," she explained in her usual quiet voice. Kaneki continued to stand behind (F/N), his previous glower softening to a lighter expression. His nerves remained noticeable though, as his hands were still shaking with adrenaline.

Nishiki looked impatient, but his silence gave (F/N) the opportunity to keep talking. "He wouldn't hurt me, and he hasn't tried to hurt me before," (F/N) cleared up with Nishiki, refusing to acknowledge Kaneki's singular outburst that one night. Kaneki frowned at the lie but still tried to mask the rest of his guilt from showing on his face.

"Kaneki-kun is good," (F/N) confirmed. She turned her head to look back at Kaneki and flashed him a gentle smile, to which Kaneki nervously responded with a crooked one of his own. (F/N) reached up to take her lab goggles off from her head and undid her messy bob, letting her curls flow freely down her back. "I'd like to take a quick lunch break, Nishiki-senpai," she smiled at her brother-figure.

Nishiki looked back and forth between (F/N) and Kaneki with a skeptical glare. He eventually huffed out another sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Alright," he agreed to pause their study time, but his hostile nature returned once more when he looked back at Kaneki. "You better bring her back here _unharmed_ in less than 30 minutes, or I will rip you apart from the inside out," he threatened. Before Kaneki had a chance to say anything back, (F/N) replied for him.

"Nishiki-senpai," she frowned, "I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, yeah, just be careful around this one, alright?" Nishiki told her, ruffling her curls under his palm.

"Nn," (F/N) nodded, trying to fix the hair that Nishiki just messed up. She took her lab coat off and handed it over to Nishiki before gently intertwining her fingers with Kaneki's, making his gut do a flip. She began to head towards the exit of the science building, Kaneki walking along beside her.

He flashed a quick glare at Nishiki before they left.

Kaneki felt Nishiki's eyes burning holes through his back the whole walk down the hallway.

* * *

"How come everyone's so protective of you, (F/N)-chan?" Kaneki asked as he sipped on his black coffee. He placed the cup down on the campus picnic table and watched (F/N) eat her bagel across from him.

(F/N) shrugged. "I don't know why people think I'm a baby," she said to him, taking another bite out of her pastry. Kaneki gave her an endearing smile.

"Maybe it's because you're so tiny," he commented on (F/N)'s height. (F/N) blushed madly and stared down at the bagel in her hands.

"T-That doesn't mean I'm weak," she mumbled. One of Kaneki's hands reached up behind his neck to rub it.

"Trust me, I know," Kaneki nervously laughed, remembering when (F/N) had kneed him in the gut and knocked the wind out of him for a solid minute. "I can tell you don't like being babied," he said.

(F/N) shook her head and frowned, "Who would?"

"How do you put up with it?" Kaneki wondered, enjoying the back-and-forth conversation they were having. He hadn't exactly ever heard (F/N) express her opinions before; he wanted to gently coax her to keep talking.

"I don't," she said simply, continuing to chew on her bagel and avoiding eye contact.

"(F/N)-chan," Kaneki stated.

(F/N), trying to hide her nervousness, replied with a mouth full.

"Hm?"

"Why don't you look at me?"

(F/N)'s eyes widened at the question. _Simple question, simple answer, right?_ She pondered through ways she could respond to him with, but she couldn't find a single reply.

She slowly lowered her bagel and stared down at her lap.

"I-I don't know…" She answered truthfully, a confused frown apparent on her face. "I don't know why. I-I've never been this… Shy around anyone before," it almost pained her to admit it — right in front of Kaneki too. Kaneki raised his eyebrows; he himself seemed to be just as shocked by (F/N)'s confession as she was.

"Really?" He asked, a smile tugging on his lips as he gripped the edges of his book resting on the table. He watched (F/N) cautiously nod.

"(F/N)-chan," Kaneki said again. This time (F/N) looked up at him only to see him smiling at her. He reached out and placed a hand on hers, bringing it away from her bagel and comfortably holding it in his own. "You don't have to be nervous around me, okay?" He reassured her.

(F/N)'s face still held a furious blush, but she returned his smile.

" _Kaneki-kun_ ," a smooth voice brought the two out of their gaze. Both (F/N) and Kaneki turned to see a tall, flashy man sitting on the other end of the picnic table. "Hello…" Shuu Tsukiyama drawled out. Kaneki appeared awkward, and (F/N) just stared blankly at him.

"You…" Kaneki uttered. "C-Can I help you, or…?"

"May I join you two?" Tsukiyama's tone was amicable, but his aura felt… Nasty.

Kaneki shot a sideways glance at (F/N) to see if she was okay with him sitting at their table. (F/N) had reverted back to her _indifferent_ appearance, looking in the opposite direction away from the both of them. He now knew that this was (F/N)'s mask; just how Uta explained that ghouls wore a metaphorical mask to blend in with human society, (F/N), though human, also wore her _own_ metaphorical mask to conceal her emotions. Kaneki didn't understand why she felt the need to do so. Perhaps he could ask her about it sometime later.

Not receiving an answer from (F/N), he looked back at Tsukiyama. "Sure, be my guest," he offered the flamboyant man.

Tsukiyama kept a smile on his face as he went to sit across from Kaneki. (F/N) shifted on her bench to allow room for him. " _Merci beaucoup_ ," Shuu pronounced skillfully, patting (F/N) gently on the shoulder. Kaneki didn't miss how she seemed uncomfortable under his touch. However, she didn't get angry with him; she just focused on finishing her bagel, still looking away from the two of them. He got the feeling that she wasn't planning on doing a whole lot of talking anymore, which saddened him.

Kaneki looked back at Shuu with an uneasy smile. "So… Uh, what brings you to Kamii University?" He asked rather oddly. He didn't know how to approach this man, especially with Touka warning him to stay away.

Shuu rested his chin on the palm of his hand, keeping his gaze on Kaneki. "What if I told you, _you're_ the one who brings me here?" He smiled slyly.

Kaneki and (F/N)'s eyes both widened, but (F/N) continued looking elsewhere.

"H-Huh?!" Kaneki blurted out. Embarrassed, he raised up his book to cover his mouth, "Oh, uh, I'm really flattered, but…"

Shuu seemed to not care for Kaneki's obvious discomfort as he kept talking. "I had a feeling I'd find you lost in the pages of a book…" The gourmet thought aloud. He smirked, "A bird from Anteiku told me of your passion."

(F/N) still refused to look at the 20th Ward's parasite, but her eyebrows furrowed when she heard the mentioning of Anteiku. _When did he come by work? Why doesn't anyone tell me about these things?!_

(F/N) swallowed the water she was sipping wrong while she was going through many different thoughts at once. She sputtered out small coughs and quickly covered her mouth, embarrassed.

"S-Sorry," she muttered through her fingers, looking down at the table. Her sudden choking when Anteiku was brought up piqued Tsukiyama's interest, and he smiled down at her.

" _My_ , are you the rumored human that works at that lovely coffee shop?" the gourmet pinched his thumb and pointer on (F/N)'s chin, tilting her head towards him so he could examine her closer. (F/N)'s face twisted into an uncomfortable frown, and she closed her eyes, not wanting to look at the man. She didn't like being touched. Her small hands reached up and tried to push Shuu's away. "She's got quite a delectable scent, you know, Kaneki?" Shuu gave a loving look at Kaneki, who wasn't very fond of how the gourmet was gripping (F/N)'s face. Shuu turned back to (F/N) and gave her a sweet smile, but something in his eyes turned malevolent. " _Ma belle fille_ , I would have _mauled_ on your sweet flesh the very first chance I could," he grinned as if that was a compliment.

Kaneki stared horrified at what he just said, and he didn't know why (F/N) didn't have an expressive response. She just remained stuck in his palm with her eyes squeezed shut. Kaneki felt the need to step up.

"H-Hey, let go of her, you might hurt her!" He stammered at Shuu. Tsukiyama released (F/N) without any hesitation and leaned forward on the table to face Kaneki. Kaneki's hands were sweating; he didn't want another altercation to happen today. (F/N) shot him a nervous glance because she was thinking the same thing.

"Now, now," Shuu spoke smoothly. "I wouldn't hurt the angel," he told Kaneki, referring to (F/N). "Any friend of Kaneki's is a friend of mine. I was just expressing my affections to the little darling," he kept a clever smile on his face as he rested his chin on the back of his hand.

(F/N), once again, zoned out of the conversation. She didn't want to listen to Tsukiyama banter about literature and almost effortlessly gain Kaneki's trust. (F/N) was worried. She kept a concerned eye on Kaneki as she finished her bagel, completely ignoring Shuu's presence altogether.

 _Stupid boys._


	5. Chapter 4

Teddy Bear

Chapter 4

 _Everything was so sweet, until you tried to kill me._

* * *

(F/N) wasn't too happy to see that Kaneki accepted Tsukiyama's invitation.

She eyed the slip of paper Kaneki was staring at. It contained information on the coffee shop the parasite planned to meet him at. Of course, Kaneki had noticed how (F/N) was rather _unwelcoming_ when Tsukiyama interrupted their lunch the other day. The half-ghoul was wondering why she wasn't talking to him about his invite.

 _Is this her way of expressing disapproval?_ He wondered, looking at (F/N) finishing up washing the last couple of dishes.

 _That man didn't really seem like he was all that bad to me…_

Yoshimura walked through the "Staff Only" door and smiled at the pair. "You two are done for the day."

(F/N) spoke up. "Yomo-san?" She asked. Kaneki furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Yoshimura looked like he just remembered something.

"Oh, that's right! Yomo is waiting for the two of you downstairs. He would like to talk with you." Yoshimura explained with a peaceful smile.

Kaneki looked at (F/N) with a puzzled expression. "U-Uh—?"

* * *

"So, uh, what's the deal?" Kaneki asked while following behind Yomo. Yomo didn't look like he was going to answer his question. Kaneki turned his head to look back at (F/N), who was walking behind him.

"Fight," (F/N) said simply. Kaneki turned back around, getting more worried and uncomfortable by the second.

 _Both of them are people of few words_ , he thought as he rolled his eyes.

Soon Yomo halted, almost making Kaneki bump into his back. The silent man began taking his coat off and explained to Kaneki that he needs to learn how to protect himself with Doves being around in the area more frequently.

"W-Wha—?" Yomo threw a punch at Kaneki before the poor boy could finish his sentence.

"I'm not — ready yet! What are you — doing?!" Kaneki sputtered as he managed to dodge each of Yomo's blows. (F/N) just stood back and watched calmly. Yomo finally knocked Kaneki down with a surprise kick.

Kaneki laid on the ground, panting wildly. Yomo and (F/N) stood over him.

"I want you to come down here after each of your shifts so (F/N) and I can train you," Yomo stated boldly, apathetically staring down at the defeated Kaneki. Kaneki finally began to stand, regaining his balance.

"But she is a human," Kaneki said between pants. Yomo seemed indifferent.

"You'll know that (F/N) is much more capable of violence than she lets on," he told the already-exhausted boy. Kaneki blinked. He should've known that from the instant (F/N) kneed him in the gut. With his hands resting on his knees, Kaneki looked up at (F/N), who was staring at him with her usual blank expression. Innocence radiated from her. He looked back to Yomo.

"She won't get hurt?" He questioned with an anxious tone. Yomo shook his head.

"Probably not."

* * *

"Touka-chan warned you, Kaneki-kun," (F/N) reminded the half-ghoul with a small, disappointed pout on her face.

She was tending Kaneki's wounds from Shuu's dirty trick to try and get him eaten at the Ghoul Restaurant. Kaneki hissed as (F/N) cleaned his cuts. "As soon as you eat, your body should start healing itself," she told him, dipping the cloth back into the cup of water.

"Eh," Kaneki looked down to hide his face, "I'm trying to hold off on eating as long as I can. It makes me feel so disgusting whenever I do." (F/N)'s actions ceased, and she stared at him.

"That's not good, Kaneki-kun."

* * *

Kaneki walked beside (F/N), rubbing his bicep with a grimace. "Man, that really hurt… Yomo-san is gonna break my arm one of these days," he said, mostly to himself. (F/N) smiled up at Kaneki.

"You're getting better and better each day, Kaneki-kun." Kaneki returned her smile.

Kaneki was finally able to see (F/N)'s fighting style to a greater extent. She was just as quick as Yomo, if not faster due to her smaller stature. Kaneki was extremely nervous when it came to using his kagune in a spar with (F/N), but he soon realized that her attacks were much more brutal than expected. She did not have ghoul-strength, per say, so it wasn't like she was flinging Kaneki all around the ground level floor; in fact, the most her attacks would only push Kaneki back was only a couple of feet at most. However, her agility and intelligence greatly made up for what she lacks in strength. He was also able to witness her extensive knowledge with weaponry of all kinds. She didn't use any of this on him, of course, but he would watch her and Yomo would spar using many different kinds of knives so he could learn different blocks. If Kaneki were being honest, (F/N) scared him.

Kaneki stared at the curly-headed girl walking next to him, a dreamy, distant look on her face. _How could I be afraid of that…_ He admired her even more for how fragile she could appear.

Kaneki's attention was immediately drawn towards insults being shouted in the back of an alleyway. (F/N) didn't seem to even realize there was a fight going on and continued walking past. Kaneki had to pull her back to him to hide behind the wall, making (F/N) yelp. He peered around the corner.

"Come on, cry like the bitch you are!" A tall, burly-looking man laughed while kicking a familiar redhead. Kaneki's eyes widened.

"Nishio?!" He whispered in shock. Hearing Nishiki's name, (F/N) joined Kaneki in peering around the corner. She frowned.

"Nishiki-senpai…" She breathed.

"So how 'bout we start with his arm?" One of the bigger men asked his buddies.

"Sounds good to me!" Another one replied

Kaneki looked down at the crouching (F/N) beside him. _I don't know if I should help after everything he's done…_

He was about to tell (F/N) they should just ignore this to avoid any more trouble, but (F/N) was already walking up to the group of men.

" _(F/N)-chan_!" Kaneki aggressively whispered.

"Let Nishiki-senpai go," she calmly told the men, still frowning at the scene.

Nishiki managed to raise his head in his pained state to look at (F/N). "N-No, (F/N)," he grunted out.

Kaneki made his way beside (F/N), awkwardly stepping in front of her to attempt to keep her from harm. "Kaneki-kun," she started, but Kaneki glanced at her, giving her a ' _Don't do this'_ look.

"H-Hey, guys. Sorry we interrupted, we were just leaving," Kaneki's explanation was only half believable. _Damn_ , he cringed at himself.

The men stared silently at both Kaneki and (F/N). Then there were ruptures of laughter. One of the men nudged Nishiki's nearly-limp body.

"Hey, piece of shit, is that bitch a friend of yours?"

"She smells mighty fine!"

Obnoxious laughter continued. The group moved away from Nishiki and towards Kaneki and (F/N). Kaneki anxiously looked at (F/N), wondering what the hell she just got them into. (F/N) only had one emotion apparent to her appearance right now: _indifference_.

The leader of the group of men came closer to (F/N), sneering down at the short girl. "What's a puny human like you have to do with this piece of shit here?" He asked her with an amused grin, pointing back at Nishiki. The man's kakugan activated. "I have no problem beating the hell out of a girl!"

He swung his first punch, and (F/N) dodged it easily. He swung his second punch. (F/N) dodged that one too. And his third. All of (F/N)'s focus was on avoiding his attacks and searching for the first opening to make her own move. Kaneki was yelling at her, but she couldn't hear him.

The man paused for one second too long, and that's when (F/N)'s whole demeanor changed. Her lips curled into a miniscule wily smirk, and she landed one uppercut on the man's chin with her dominant hand. Kaneki's shouting simmered down to just a crazed look.

 _What the hell, (F/N)?!_

As the large man was trying to piece together what just happened, he was met with a harsh jab in the center of his abdomen by (F/N)'s elbow, as that was just at her height. He wheezed, trying to catch his breath. (F/N) grabbed onto his arm, twisted it, and pulled it down over her shoulder. A loud crack was heard, making everyone except (F/N) cringe.

The delinquent had tears in his eyes as he hollered in pain. Kaneki stared with wide eyes, watching (F/N) release the man twice her size, whom she managed to reduce to tears.

(F/N) looked down at the whimpering man, who was kneeling and holding onto his broken arm. Her head turned to see the other men, who all had a mutual expression of fear. Quickly, they all turned and ran down the alleyway, leaving behind their defeated leader. The crippled man stood and followed after them as fast as he could, shouting profanities and holding his dangling limp arm.

(F/N) began to walk over to Nishiki's beaten body, but a hand on her arm stopped her. She turned her head and curiously looked at Kaneki. _Is he going to praise me?!_ She secretly hoped.

"(F/N)…" Kaneki breathed, staring at her with wide eyes. Hearing Kaneki drop the honorific he normally uses for her made her small grin slowly diminish into a worried gaze. He was not going to praise her at all.

"Don't you ever do that again!" He raised his voice, but not out of anger, instead out of fear. Of course he knew (F/N) could defend herself, but what if that fight had not gone the way it did? She would've been killed and eaten right then and there!

"You could have been seriously hurt, you know that?! O-Or even killed! They were ghouls! I don't want anything to happen to you, so please… Don't pick fights anymore!" He yelled, still gripping (F/N)'s bicep.

(F/N) stared back at Kaneki, confused by his shouts. She's never heard him yell before, and it didn't help that his tone did not match his facial expression. He had a frightened appearance but an angry voice. Was he mad at her or not?

(F/N) was silent for a bit. "Okay," she said simply.

 _That… That was all it took?!_ Kaneki was surprised. He looked at her a little longer before he decided she really was being sincere with him. Kaneki sighed and let go of (F/N)'s arm.

"Thank you," he returned back to his normal, timid self. (F/N) turned and walked over to Nishiki.

"(F/N), you dumbass," the injured Nishiki managed to say. (F/N) and Kaneki helped to walk him back to his apartment he shared with Kimi.

* * *

After an unnecessary fight Kaneki, Touka, _and_ Nishiki had with Tsukiyama in an abandoned church, things were starting to be more positive in Anteiku's environment.

Kaneki smiled while looking at (F/N) mopping one of the corners in the small café, a few strands of curly hair falling out of her space buns. The café's bell rang as the front door was pushed open, letting a customer in.

"Welcome to Antei – what do you want, Hide?" Kaneki's joyful mood was a little ruined by the mischievous look on Hide's face as he sat down at the counter.

"Kaneki," Hide confidently began. "I think it's _time_."

Kaneki raised an eyebrow as he set the glass he was drying into a cupboard. " _Time_?" He asked his best friend.

"You know…" Hide whispered, tilting his head in the direction of (F/N), who was still furiously trying to clean up a stain on the floor. Kaneki stared at Hide.

"… What are you trying to say?" Kaneki really had no clue.

"Aw, man, Kaneki! Come on!" Hide leaned over the counter real close to Kaneki. " _Ask her out!_ " He aggressively whispered to his eyepatch-clad best friend. Kaneki's eyes widened.

"U-Uh!"

Hide leaned back and rolled his eyes. Kaneki was taking too long for his liking. "If you don't want her, then… _I'll_ take her!" Hide told him.

"Hey, (F/N)-chan!" Hide called to the small girl. "You wanna' go out with me sometime?!"

(F/N) didn't even flinch or look back at the two boys. "No, Hide-kun," was her simply reply, still mopping the floor vigorously.

Hide looked defeated, and Kaneki doesn't even have time to process what just happened before he felt Hide's hand pushing him in (F/N)'s direction. Kaneki nervously looked back at him. Hide just mouthed, "Your turn!"

Kaneki manages to lean over the counter and gently touch (F/N)'s shoulder, albeit with a shaky hand. (F/N) looked up at him questionably. Kaneki swallowed.

"Would you like to go on a d-date with me, (F/N)-chan?" He gave her a crooked smile, his nerves apparent.

(F/N) stared at him for a bit before she smiled sweetly and nodded.

Kaneki felt his stomach do a flip, and he was relieved of his anxiety. All that could be heard was Hide yelling about how that isn't fair.

* * *

(F/N) and Kaneki had looked over their schedules and found a day that neither of them worked nor had class. Kaneki was waiting in the dining area of Anteiku with Hide. He didn't know why Hide even came with him.

Kaneki placed his elbow on the café table and leaned his cheek on his hand. "I hope you know I'm definitely not letting you come with me on the date," he informed Hide. Hide slurped down a frappuccino and dismissively waved a hand at Kaneki.

"Yeah, yeah," Hide said, continuing to drink his beverage. "I'm just here to see if whatever you did to (F/N) will work for me with Touka!"

Nishiki, who was folding towels, clicked his tongue "Why would you want to have a go at that rat's ass?"

Yoshimura smiled silently at the conversation.

The "Staff Only" door that led to the dorms above the café opened. (F/N) cautiously closed the door behind her, uncomfortable knowing that all eyes were on her. She wore a high-waisted skirt and a skimpy turtleneck. Simple and sweet. Kaneki and Hide both stared in awe.

Hide was the first to speak up. "Damn, (F/N)! You could work at Big Girl with a rack like that!" He said a little too loudly. (F/N)'s face twisted into scowl, and Kaneki soon discovered yet another one of (F/N)'s rare emotions: disgust. "Hide!" Kaneki yelled at his friend.

"Hide-kun," (F/N) said lowly, "Shut up."

Everyone was shocked as (F/N)'s usual innocent exterior was cracked. Truth is, she was only mildly upset. She just didn't want to be spoken to like she was a piece of meat.

She had endured that enough of her life.

Hide, while taken aback, managed to still be playful. He laughed heartily and ruffled (F/N)'s long curls when she approached the two males. "I was just teasin'!" He covered himself. (F/N) gave him a small smile.

Kaneki was choking on his words, still silently looking (F/N) over. "You're beautiful," managed to slip out. (F/N) looked down and hid her blush with the back of her hand.

"S-So are you…" She muttered.


End file.
